Envy
by Xiao Dee
Summary: AU. She is a mermaid who fell for a boy who could not be hers. For him, she would do anything. For him, she would commit a sin. But for herself.. For one who has committed a dreadful crime of emotion, is there any chance for redemption? KxL.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

Prologue: A piacere (at one's pleasure)

_'If you want to know how much I love and care for you, count the waves.'_

_-Kenneth Koh_

They say love transcends time and space.

No matter where the two people are, they can feel that bond that links them forever.

Love can also heal.

The deadly sin of envy is countered by the very existence of love.

A young girl is punished for her actions, banished from her home.

She meets a boy, falls in love, yet cannot truly be with him.

Emotions boil high when another girl interferes.

She is jealous; she does not think life is fair.

She is willing to commit a sinful action,

because she feels it is just.

Can she do it?

Will she be forgiven?

This is the story of a mermaid who falls for a common boy. He is no prince, and she is no princess. He is kind and she innocent to matters of the heart. She has to come to terms with her feelings and face a battle of jealousy versus what she knows she should do instead. He has to desperately struggle with matters beyond his control. And in the end.. what will come of all this?

A/N: My first fanfiction! Was a little shy about posting it, but here we are! This is AU and Lacus/Kira all the way. I know the mermaid part sounds a lot like "The Little Mermaid" right now, but trust me, it is quite different ;). There may be some parts that seem similar to that story, but hopefully not much. Very possible OOC of characters. Please R&R!


	2. 1: Allegro

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

Ch.1 Allegro (fast and bright)

"The story of the first siren is both ancient and sacred to mermaid and mermen kind. It is a tale of lost love and endless sorrow. The beautiful goddess Atargatis fell in love with a mortal man. Unfortunately, she unintentionally killed him due to her superior divinity. Full of remorse and grief, she attempted to transform into a fish and fell into the endless seas. However, her beauty was so great that the water refused to accept her fish form. Thus, the goddess compromised with her original upper body and the lower body of a fish. Her lamenting songs can still be heard around the oceans to this day, and her female descendents, the mermaids, are gifted with the ability to sing hauntingly beautiful songs that lead unsuspecting sailors astray."

The girl telling the story paused to gaze wisely into the eyes of her little audience of four. She had short, bright magenta hair and startling dark blue eyes. However, this girl was no ordinary human. Two purple seashells covered her chest and where normally a human girl would have two legs, she had a magnificent, glistening fish-like tail. The shiny scales were a vibrant indigo color. She is a mermaid.

"Amazing, Luna, you made that old legend sound great," one of the mermaid's friends commented. This mermaid had brown hair, cropped short, and a brilliant orange tail.

"Ha! I could have done better.." Luna's red-headed sister Meyrin stated, with a wiggle of her violet tail and a toss of her long hair, to the brown-haired mermaid, "I cannot believe you found that old piece of information interesting, Miriallia!"

Miriallia, or rather, Milly, shrugged and looked at the mermaid next to her, "Do you think the story is true, Cagalli? Your father is the King, after all."

Princess Cagalli had a tomboyish and confident aura about her. Even her golden eyes looked fierce. It matched her blonde hair and glistening green tail perfectly. "Father actually really believes it. He says that's why all mermaids, who are direct female descendents of the goddess, can sing so well. There are still temples around our kingdom that honor the Lady Goddess of the Sea."

"It does sound fascinating," the last mermaid spoke up. She had long pink hair, crystal clear baby blue eyes and a sparkling blue tail. "I wonder how a mortal man must look like. How funny it is that they do not have tails."

"You find everything interesting, Lacus," energetic Meyrin winked while the others chuckled. It was true; Lacus was as innocent and naive as they come, eager to learn and always polite.

The young mermaids drifted idly along the ocean floor, in an area of the sea close to their home, the undersea paradise of Eternal, where Cagalli's father Uzumi was King of the merpeople. The seascape was filled with plants and various species of fish. It was both beautiful and full of mysteries. It was here where the young ones were confined to. The young mermaids have hardly ever ventured out to the shore or drifted out of the safety of the kingdom's borders. At the age of nineteen, Luna is the eldest, her sister Meyrin is two year younger, with Cagalli, Lacus, and Milly in between at eighteen. The five friends lusted for adventure, yet none of them had the courage to lead a swim outside Eternal and into the surface.

"I do wish we might be able to see the surface though," Milly pondered thoughtfully, "I would love to be able to see the stars and moon the ancients speak about."

"Do not even think about it!" Luna objected, "It is far too dangerous to venture to the surface! The King will punish any one commits such a crime. Remember the law of the merpeople!"

King Uzumi held the belief that the merpeople should not interfere with the humans who coexisted with them. The less interaction, the better. Every time a mermaid or merman had been seen by a human, the mortals had come after them as if they were prey to be hunted. The result was either the human drowning or the former dead. Since Cagalli's father had been King, murders of merpeople had decreased to none for no mermaid or merman was allowed to contact any humans. The King had decreed that any merperson who puts their own people in danger shall be punished severely. It is simply not the merpeople's way to be able to live near mortals.

At Luna's words, Cagalli, however, suddenly perked up, "Never mind the old man's words! My father will never mind if his own daughter decides to take a small swim up to the surface! If you girls want, we can take a little adventure tonight?"

"Oh, Cagalli, how can you even think of it?" Luna immediately said with a frown, "Did you not hear what I just said? I will absolutely not go on such an unsafe venture. Meyrin cannot go, either."

"Why, sister?!" The redhead exclaimed, "I want to go!"

"You will listen to me!" her sister answered, "Or else I will tell mother!"

"You will not tell anyone, Lunamaria," Cagalli glared at the older girl. Luna looked away at the princess's words, but still muttered, "We are not going.."

"I cannot, either," Milly looked ashamed, "I am just too afraid if we are caught."

Cagalli sighed. This was why the friends have never journeyed more than two feet from the border. Her fellow mermaids were just too timid to break any rules. The blonde mermaid, however, was more than willing to press her old man's buttons. She turned to the last of her friends, "What about you, Lacus?"

She was sure the pink-haired girl would also refuse her. However, she was pleasantly surprised when Lacus suddenly said, "I will go," after thinking deeply about it.

"What?!" Milly, Luna, and Meyrin stared, aghast, at their friend.

"I have to admit, I am just too curious," Lacus blushed, "It would be nice to finally have an exciting story to tell."

"See, girls!" Cagalli barged in happily, throwing an arm around the pink-haired mermaid, "This is what I am talking about!"

"When and where shall we meet then, Your Highness?" Lacus giggled.

"We will meet at the statue of The Goddess at the Eastern Gate," the blonde mermaid answered confidently, "Father shall never know if I sneak out after midnight, so let's meet at the darkest hour!"

"Alright."

"Do be careful," Luna told them worriedly, "Come back quickly."

"Yes, please do," Milly repeated, looking from one mermaid to the other. Meyrin nodded, looking extremely disappointed that she would not be going herself.

"Oh, don't fuss!" Cagalli laughed, "What is the worst that can happen?"

They say the darkest hour is before dawn. As Lacus quietly swam to the Eastern Gate, she was not worried at all about anyone noticing that she is missing. Being invisible was easy for her. Adopted as a maid/friend to accompany Princess Cagalli as a young mermaid, she never knew her parents and surprisingly, she did not care to. Choosing to move to the future and not dwell on the past, she had found herself a good position in merpeople society and had friends.

The Goddess Statue was truly magnificent. Fifteen feet tall, legendary Atargatis stood in all her glory, long wavy hair curling to the ends of her tail. Her arms open wide to welcome all mermaids and mermen, she looked both comforting and strong. Stories told that the Lady had glowing silver hair and scales that flashed millions of colors, but then again, no one alive in the kingdom has seen the goddess so the myths prevailed.

Cagalli was already waiting at the foot of the statue when Lacus arrived. The princess looked so excited that she could barely contain herself.

"I cannot wait!" She exclaimed, "We are going to have so much to tell the others!"

The two started a slow swim across the gate and into unsheltered waters. King Uzumi did not appoint guards at the Eastern Gate because no merperson has ever wished to venture out during the dark of the night. That is, no merperson who wished to come back alive.

Lacus was not sure how far they had swam before she finally could see the dim yellow light of the moon that elders spoke of. They had passed a few currents and drifted upwards, Cagalli leading the way. The blonde swore she would remember how to get back to the kingdom. Now the water above them seemed to be growing clearer, and Lacus gazed in wonder as the golden yellow circle glowed brighter and brighter as the two swam higher. "Oh, Cagalli! We are almost there!"

The water now appeared almost white as they churned against each other at the surface of the ocean. With one last excited glance at each other, the two young mermaids broke the waves and breathed their first wondrous breathe of air. "Ahh!"

"It is so beautiful!" Lacus looked around her. The endless waves rolled back and forth, the moon casting an eerie light upon the silent and peaceful night. Thousands of stars littered the dark blue sky, twinkling down at the awestruck young ones.

"Look, Lacus!" Cagalli propelled herself upwards and out of the sea, leaping high into the air. Her fish tail gleamed bright green as the moonlight struck her scales. Her friend laughed happily at her antics.

"The others should have come! They would have loved this," The princess stated, swirling about the surface and floating with the waves. "What do you think about coming up here some other time with them? Maybe in a few days? I will have all the currents memorized by then! And then, I would try sneaking out from the left.."

However, her pink-haired friend was not paying much attention. A shadow had captured her attention in the distance. As the princess continued to chatter, the blue-scaled mermaid started to swim towards the shape, unaware that she was drifting away.

As she closed in to the object, Lacus could tell by the dull moonlight that it looked like a ship. Elders had drawn out such an object to them and explained that mortals often pilot such things to swim atop the sea, for they possessed no tails that allowed all other sea creatures to coordinate the waters with agility. Curiosity got the best of her and she drew nearer to the seemingly empty boat.

Just as she was within a few feet of the simple vessel, several shouts from inside the boat frightened her. Three dark-haired heads burst out to stare at her from beneath the edge of the ship. They belonged to three men, all appeared to be quite young. The men looked with glittering eyes at the trembling young mermaid. "Oh, lookee here!" One said to his friends, "This is certainly a surprise! We got ourselves a catch!"

"And I thought those old fishermen were jokin' when they said they had caught mermaids! Don't let this one escape!" Another yelled. "Get the harpoon!!"

Hearing this sent a violent wave of fear through Lacus and she immediately tried to dive under the waves. She had just gotten her whole body into the water when she felt a pain so strong in her tail that she screamed into the churning water. A sharp, metal hook attached to a thick wooden rod had embedded itself into her blue-scaled flesh and the humans above in the ship were eagerly pulling it, along with her, out of the water. She struggled violently against their weight, sending shock-waves of pain up her torso, but could not surpass their strength. Thrashing wildly, she was pulled out of the water, hanging precariously close to the boat. "Cagalli! Cagalli!!!" She screamed, "Help me!!"

As if right on cue, Cagalli's fierce head emerged from the sea next to her. Gasping at Lacus's wound, she managed to grab her friend's arms and pull with all her might to free the pink-haired mermaid, who screamed as the hook finally tore out of her flesh. To the dismay of the three men on the boat, Lacus hit the water with a last shout of anguish.

"Hurry, we must go now!" Cagalli grabbed her friend's arm and pulled Lacus with her as she descended with top speed into the depths. Harpoons were thrust at them from above, and Lacus did not know if any of them hit or not; the wound in her tail stung so bad that all she could do was try to not cry out. It was not until they were within the safety of deeper waters did she realize that Cagalli had not spoken since their descent.

"C-Cagalli?" She turned to look at her friend, "Oh, nooo!"

The princess had been hit by a harpoon at the shoulders. Blood flowed from a deep wound between Cagalli's right shoulder and back. The princess had her teeth gritted tightly and was grimacing in pain. "Do not scream, Lacus. The blood is already attracting attention to us.."

The pink-haired girl suddenly realized the danger they were in. Blood in the ocean only lead to death. Predators were bound to smell their blood and zone in on them. They must move fast.

Without speaking further to each other, they joined hands and took turns pulling each other forward, sometimes against currents. They could feel danger coming closer and closer every second they swam. It was a feeling of indescribable relief when they finally spotted the Eastern Gate. Wrapped up in pain and loss of blood, the two young mermaids collapsed at the foot of the statue of Atargatis, with the last thing that Lacus saw was the trail of her and Cagalli's blood, drifting out of the iron gates and into the unknown before darkness took her in its grasp.

The next thing she knew, she was floating in a world of black fog. There was no pain here, there was nothing at all. She knew she was dreaming then, floating in and out of unconsciousness. Time passed. Then, suddenly, she felt her body being pulled back into reality by a jolt of intense pain along her tail. "Uugh..!" Her eyelids fluttered open to see herself surrounded by three enormous mermen guards she did not know. Stern and severe, one of them had grasped her arm in his vice-like hands, dragging her from where she had lay in a vacant room of what she realized was the Palace into a sitting position. By the light in the room, she knew it was daytime. She glanced at the mermen and protested, "What are you doing?!"

"You have been summoned by the King." The merman who held her arm said solemnly.

"B-But I am injured!" She said, gasping at the sight of her own wound. The flesh that had been impaled by the human's hook was still torn and though there was no more blood leaking out, it would take much time and attendance to the injury for it to heal.

"You have no right to object," another guard replied, moving closer to take her other arm, "You have committed a crime."

Lacus felt fear course through her veins. As she realized the disaster her and Cagalli's adventure had become, her anxiety mounted. Is Cagalli alright?! What will the King do to her and Lacus? Though afraid and craving to run away from the unbending guards, she could do nothing but allow them to drag her out of the room and to where she knew the King will be waiting.

The place she was led to seemed both unfamiliar and terrible. This was not the King's Throne Room, she realized, as the guards took her down flights of stone steps that she never knew existed below the Palace. The light grew dimmer and dimmer, and soon, Lacus realized she and the guards were shrouded in complete darkness. She knew the guards would ignore anything she says, so she kept silent. She could not even count how many spirals of staircase they passed; she had lost track long ago. After an impossibly long descent, the guards led her to a small door at the very bottom of the endless stairs. The door looked ancient, with seaweed and small crustaceans sprouting from the edges of rotted wood. There was also a stench in the water. It was not necessarily a bad or good stench, but definitely unique.

"Why is the King down here? What is this place?!" She asked, but the guards ignored her. One of them pounded three times on the rotting door, then proceeded to open it.

The room inside was a cave. All four sides were made of sea rocks and dead coral. Shelves of bottles and preserved sea creatures littered the walls. Bright blue sea flame glowed in torch holders mounted on the rocky walls. Black caldrons filled with boiling liquids simmered, with thick foggy material erupting from the top of each. The stench grew thicker.

The three guards looked at each other. With a heavy thrust and a loud scream of protest from Lacus, the young mermaid was pushed into the room. The guards shut the door with a bang, and Lacus was all alone inside the dark place. Shaking with fear, she looked around the cave, wondering why was she thrown here and where was the King?

Swimming closer to one of the caldrons, she gasped in disgust as she spotted degraded fish remains and what appeared to be merpeople hair.

"Welcome." A female voice sounded directly behind her.

Whipping around instinctively, Lacus found herself staring at an older mermaid with long brown hair and kind brown eyes. Her tail was a golden color. She looked radiant and warm, out of place in this filthy place.

"You must be wondering why you are here," the merwoman smiled, "And you want to know who I am as well."

Lacus nodded, her blue eyes searching the other's brown ones.

"My name is Murrue, but to most of the kingdom, you may have heard of me referred to as the Sea Witch."

The pink-haired mermaid let out an audible gasp. The Sea Witch was a revered figure in their society. She was the best healer among their people and made many magical potions that cured illnesses and injuries. Stories had it that the Witch had even made contact with humans and returned unharmed after many visits. Not many merpeople have seen the Witch, though. She worked exclusively for the King, and he did not want one of his most important assistants to be well known among the people, afraid that someone will harm the Witch. Thus, most of the mermaids and mermen have never seen the Witch; they just heard about her. Not many knew how she looked like, and those the King had sworn to secrecy.

The elder mermaid now looked at Lacus with eyes that shone with a hint of sadness, "You, my young one, are in quite a predicament. I have a message here for you from our King. I am afraid it is not good news." She handed Lacus a reed scroll bearing the Royal Seal that had lay on one of the numerous shelves.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to quench her uncontrollable shaking and feeling of fear at the pit of her stomach, the young mermaid unrolled the scroll. What she read sent her wailing, dropping to the floor next to Murrue's sympathetic figure.

A short message had been written on to the hardened reeds:

_By the will of His Majesty King Uzumi and after much consideration,_

_The mermaid Lacus is to be punished for her obstinate judgment, mindless actions, and putting the Heir, Her Highness Princess Cagalli, in danger and subject to injuries. The law of the merpeople have been broken. There has been no higher treason committed in the past few years. For the mermaid in question is young, we have decided not to punish her with death, but with banishment. For trying to seek out mortals so fervently, she shall be banished from our waters and into their world. The Sea Witch will assist with the task of taking away her tail. She is no longer wanted among the people of this kingdom. This order is to be taken into effect immediately. Anyone who contemplates of assisting the mermaid to escape from her due punishment shall be banished along with her._

_The Royal Counsel_


	3. 2: Moderato espressivo

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: I forgot to mention that the chapter titles come from different tempo beats because of the heavy emphasis of mermaids being able to sing beautifully, and because Lacus is originally a songstress ;). Please R&R!

Ch.2 Moderato espressivo (moderately with expression)

"What will become of me?" Lacus moaned on the hard floor, tears streaming from her blue eyes, "It is just as bad as dying!"

The Witch looked at her kindly, "You must do what they say, young one. It is possible for them to welcome you back after time has elapsed."

"But when will that be? I would be killed by the mortals, anyhow! They tried to kill me when they saw me at the surface."

Murrue reached out and put a comforting hand on the younger mermaid's shaking shoulder, "I will help you so that they do not know what you are. I will take away your tail for a pair of human feet. It is what the Counsel has decided. Your actions were rash, it is true, and the Princess has been injured, so you cannot ask for forgiveness at the moment."

"Wait.. is she okay? Is the Princess alright?" Lacus asked desperately. She could not bear the thought of Cagalli suffering as well.

"She will be fine," the Witch replied, "As will you, if you heed my advice on how to survive about the surface."

"If it is what is to be.. I have no choice.."

Her elder smiled, "You must think of it as an adventure, as an opportunity in the midst of disaster. I have walked among the mortals, it is where I learned techniques and what materials to combine with sea folk magic for the potions I brew."

"You survived?"

"Yes, and you shall as well. I will tell you about how to act like the humans. They are a most unique kind, but much about them are like us."

Lacus looked down, "I will miss everyone here so much.."

"The King is very forgiving," Murrue told her, "Give him time to calm down after his daughter's wounds have healed. He will ask for you to come back, trust me."

"I hope so.."

"Be strong, dear. Remember, perseverance will help you. There is a bit of the Goddess' strength in all of us, hold onto that."

Lacus closed her eyes. Everything the Witch said was true. She had gotten herself into this mess, and now she must pay the price. Living was better than death. She must redeem herself in the eyes of her King. It was the only way to be able to see her friends again and earn her old carefree life back.

She opened her eyes. "I believe you. Please teach me how to survive."

"Are you ready? We shall ascend now," Murrue led Lacus to the farthest end of the dark cave. She reached to a torch holder studded with blood-red rubies and turned the holder to the side. At that moment, a huge rock that appeared to be in the wall of the cave began to move. Lacus stared in amazement as a circular entrance was revealed to her.

Murrue swam out of the cave and beckoned the younger mermaid to follow her. As Lacus glanced around her, she realized the cave somehow led to a place somewhere outside the Eastern Gate. She could spy the Goddess Statue in the distance.

"We shall take the Northwest current to the shore. The city there is named Heliopolis," Murrue explained, "It is a place I have walked before. The folk there are among the kindest I have met."

Lacus nodded, her heart full of dread and sorrow. She swam after Murrue as the two began to ride the swift current that led them further and further away from her beloved home.

Soon, Murrue directed them upwards and after a while, Lacus can see the surface again. This time, she wished she would never reach it. It was still daylight, but now the sun was slowly setting behind the waves, and Lacus knew Murrue wanted it to be twilight when they reached shore. And when she would leave her old life behind.

The gritty substance, "sand", Murrue called it, was everywhere at the shore where Lacus and the Witch reached. By now, the sun had nearly fully set, and a golden light filled the horizon. It would have been a beautiful scene, as Lacus had never seen the sun before. But her pounding heart would not let her see anything but her impossible mission.

She pulled herself onto the sand at the Witch's request, nearly hyperventilating with anxiety. The Witch tossed up next to her a length of some fabric that fisherman used to make their boats' sails and handed to the young mermaid two tiny bottles of thin liquid. One was blue, with a piece of thick string attached to the bottle, and one was an orange color. "The orange one will grant you mortal legs," Murrue said, "And the blue is a gift from me."

"What will it do?" Lacus asked, clutching the bottles in her hand tightly.

"It will give you a tail again," Murrue replied, "But only for a short while and be aware that you cannot return to Eternal until the King and his advisers wish you to. You may be attacked if you do, for you are a criminal in the eyes of the sea folk now. I am simply giving you a way to escape from a situation of extreme danger."

"B-But are you not committing a crime by doing so?" Lacus asked, feeling a rush of relief as she stared at the blue liquid.

The Witch laughed, "I am the Sea Witch after all. If you do not mind me saying, I feel that I will most likely not be punished for simply allowing one of my potions to be accidentally stolen by a distressed young mermaid. And if you do indeed use it far from here, the King will never know, after all."

"Thank you," Lacus told her, moved by the Witch's kindness, "For helping me. For telling me it is going to be alright."

Murrue smiled, and moved further back into the sea. "Drink the orange potion after I depart and remember to wrap that cloth around yourself. Keep the blue potion with you, and remember all that I have told you. You still have the voice of a mermaid. If you must, use the Siren's Song to enchant the mortal men who may wish to cause you harm."

"I will," Lacus said, feeling a sense of desperation as she saw her last tie to the ocean disappearing into the waves, "Please! Tell my friends.. please tell Lunamaria, Meyrin, Miriallia, and the Princess I am sorry!"

The Witch's reply was a wave of her graceful arm as she dove deep into the sea.

Lacus's first instinct at that was to burst into tears, but instead she took a shuddering breath and pulled herself painfully higher into the shore. The wound in her tail, which she had forgotten while at the Witch's cave, now stung with fervor. "I must do this.." She told herself, "I can do this."

The sun had completely set. So much had happened in one single day. She looked around for any mortals who may have strayed to the shore. Seeing none, she sighed, set herself down near the piece of sailcloth and laid the blue-colored potion on top of it. Holding the orange potion in front of her, she gazed down herself at her blue tail, already missing it.

'You must hurry' she remembered the Witch's warning, 'There is no guarantee that a human may not accidentally stumble upon you once you reach the coast.'

It was now or never.

Lacus uncorked the small bottle, and though trembling, held it to her lips. Tilting the bottle, she swallowed all of the orange liquid in one mouthful. She did not expect the searing pain she felt as soon as the potion slid down her throat. Fire seemed to explode inside her body. She could not bear it. The world became a blur of color as she thrashed and moaned in the sand. She could not breath, she could not feel, she could not see. She did not know when the pain and flames resided, but they went as fast as they came. Panting heavily on the cool sand, she lay still as her body seemed to return to normal.

Slowly, as she caught her breath, she allowed herself to look at where her tail had been. Magically, her blue scaled flesh was gone, and in its place, a pair of slender legs. She stared in amazement at them. This is what humans had, and what sea folk mocked. Murrue had told her that she would be shaky at first and to rest before trying to take her first steps. She looked about for the piece of sailcloth nearby. Somehow twisting the rough fabric around herself without standing, she managed to cover what Murrue had told her were her "private" areas. _How painstaking to have to dress yourself every day_, she thought to herself.

After staying still for some time, she decided to try to walk to the city, whose lights she could see in the distance. Throwing the blue potion bottle around her neck she put both her hands to her side and tried to stand. She wobbled upright, keeping her arms out at her side for balance. Putting one foot ahead of the other, she took a few shaky steps forward. It was not too difficult, she came to realize as she walked slowly up the shore. She was about to keep walking onward when shouts from nearby startled her so much that she fell down onto the rocky ground. She could hear the sounds of pounding footsteps closing in on her and fear clouded her consciousness. Is something coming to attack her? Scared for her life, Lacus put both arms over her head and curled herself up on the ground.

"Hey, what's that there near the rocks?" She heard a loud male voice shout.

"Looks like a person!" Someone shouted back, also male.

"Hmm.. probably a poor lost sailor washed ashore. I'll have my nephew take a look," an older male voice said. He then shouted something to another person, and then Lacus realized they were talking about her. Who are these people? Were they like the good folk that the Witch had talked about, or were they like the violent fishermen who stabbed her and Cagalli? Not willing to take a chance, she reluctantly uncurled herself, stood weakly, and attempted to run as she heard light footsteps dart toward her.

Her weak legs did not cooperate with her will. She had barely run five steps before they got tangled up and pulled her down onto the ground, hard, with a gasp of pain.

"H-Hey, don't move! You must be exhausted!" a young male voice said next to her. She squirmed around wildly to see a human boy, close to her age, peering at her with a concerned expression on his gentle face. He was wearing some sort of tunic with a few pieces of armor, and had shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes. His eyes.. they were the most mesmerizing eyes she had ever seen. A shade of dark purple in the moonlight, they looked deep and soulful. She blinked.

"Here, I'll help you-" He reached out to grab her wrist. At his touch, Lacus flinched and in a second remembered the way those violent fishermen had attacked her. She screamed and somehow pulled herself up from the ground, trying to pull away from the boy, who did not let go.

"What are you doing? I'm not going to hurt you!" He protested as she struggled, "We'll take you to the city. You'll be- Hey!-" Lacus's legs gave in and she fell backwards, causing the boy to lose his balance and fall on top of her.

She landed hard on the ground, her whole body calling out in pain. She was about to cry out when she saw the boy falling on top of her. Cringing, she expected to feel the weight of him hit her hard. It never came. When she looked up, the boy had extended his arms so that they fell on either side of her shoulders. His face was within a few inches of hers. Breathing heavily, he turned those pretty purple eyes onto her blue ones. This time, they held a glimmer of anger. "What are you doing? We are just trying to help!" he said.

Lacus could not say anything. She felt like a cornered cat. All alone at the mercy of these strange people. Who knows what will become of her? Already broken inside and out, she crumpled. Tears rolled down her face as she cried openly in front of the boy, who looked scared and alarmed at her outburst.

"H-Hey, I didn't mean to yell at you. Don't cry!" he attempted to apologize, pulling himself back from her. "R-Really, I didn't mean to.. don't cry.. We'll help you.." He extended his hand out to her, uncertain of her reaction.

Lacus stared at his outstretched hand. What should she do? Accept their help? Oh, hell, she's already a mess. What's the worst that can come out of this? She can die. Well, that was old news. She should just take a chance.

Shaking with sobs, she put a trembling hand onto his. He stood and helped her up. As she sniffed, he did not say anything, just stared at her with an emotion she could not describe on his face. Finally, after she had wiped away most of her tears, he spoke quietly, "My uncle's men are waiting up at road. Shall we go?"

Nodding, she let him start to lead her up the rocky steps of the shore. However, she had forgotten how weak her new legs were. She stifled a yell of surprise as they collapsed again beneath her suddenly. She would've fell down again if the boy hadn't caught on and managed to hold her steady by throwing his arm around her waist. "Whoa, are you hurt?" he asked, concern back in his eyes.

She nodded, remembering her wound from the night before. Taking a peek at where the wound had been on her tail, she saw a long jagged scar flanked by still-healing flesh running on her right leg, where the injury on her tail had been. The boy followed her glance and saw the injury. "You _are_ hurt!"

She nodded again. The boy thought for a moment, then looked her in the eye, "Do you mind if I help you then?"

She looked confused, thinking '_is he going to heal me right here, right now_?'

Seeing her puzzled look, he smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be alright, trust me." In one wild movement, she felt herself being lifted high off the ground and into his arms. She was about to protest, but as he looked at her, his gentle eyes silenced her complaint. Meekly, she let him carry her as he walked onto higher ground and toward where he said his uncle was.

As the two approached the other humans, Lacus saw that there were five armored men who were riding upon five creatures that somewhat resembled the tiny seahorses she and her friends would find hiding inside some coral reefs. These creatures were huge and had four legs instead of a tail. Murrue had called them 'horses' and said they were servants of the humans, kind of like the dolphins that bowed to the will of King Uzumi. The five men on the horses all turned and stared at her as the boy brought her closer. The young one closest to them had wavy green hair, another had dark blue hair. One older man further from them had short, dark brown locks, and yet another had lighter and shorter brown hair. They were not the leader however. Another man in the furthest back pulled forward as they approached. He had blonde hair and sharp blue eyes.

"Uncle Mwu," the boy who held her said.

"Who is this, Kira?" the man asked, looking kindly at Lacus, who shrank back from him, trembling again.

The boy looked at her gently, then at the man."I don't know her name, but she's hurt and it looked like she was most likely shipwrecked. She's scared, though, took a while to let me bring her here. I told her we'll get her to the city."

"Yes. That's good, my boy. But have you asked for her name?" Mwu asked. Turning to the girl, he asked gently, "Miss, can you please tell us your name? Better yet, can you tell us what happened to you?"

Lacus opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say to these strangers. "I- I-"She stammered. A sharp pain from the wound ran up her leg and torso, adding to the mess that was her thoughts. Suddenly, her view grew fuzzy. She could barely see the boy who was holding her up. "Why?..Everything.. fuzzy.. cannot see.."

"H-Hey! Are you alright? Hey!" He asked, panicking. "Uncle, I think she's fainted."

Mwu sighed. "I probably shouldn't have done that. The poor girl's been through enough. Let's go, then. Come, Kira."

"Yes sir." The boy handed Lacus to one of his uncle's men, climbed onto his steed, and opened his arms to receive the girl again. Mwu raised an eyebrow. _'This is certainly interesting_' he thought.

"My, what a pretty girl you are!" Caridad Yamato exclaimed. Lacus had woken up in a little cottage to the care of this dark-violet-haired lady. She had introduced herself as Kira's mother, and the girl had remembered that Kira was the young man who had helped her. After explaining that the boy's uncle Mwu had placed Lacus in her care for the time being after finding her at the beach, Caridad had proceeded to help the girl clean herself up. Now, dressed in a fresh gown, Lacus sat meekly as Kira's mother brushed out her long pink hair. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Now, what were you doing at the shore last night? Were you shipwrecked, dear?"

"Um.. yes, ma'am, I do not remembered what happened, but I was washed onto the shore.." the girl said, so quietly that Caridad had to lean closer to hear.

"Oh, my poor girl! How terrible.. you lost everything!" Kira's mother looked genuinely worried, "You must stay with us for now! We'll make sure you can find someone you know. Perhaps you have a relative living around Heliopolis?"

"M-My parents died when I was little," Lacus said, "And the rest of my family don't live anywhere near here.. I am.. alone."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories.. That's alright, you can just stay with us right now, I'm sure my brother, Mwu, will think of something-"

BANG!

Lacus nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud noise that came from outside the attic room Caridad had put her in. "Oh, the men must be here!" Caridad exclaimed, "I must go down then. I'll send my son up with some food for you later, dear." With that, she climbed down the creaky wooden stairs, leaving Lacus to her thoughts.

The girl couldn't believe that she was alive and the home of a gracious woman. Caridad had told her that Kira's deceased father Haruma had been a knight to King George Allster of Heliopolis and that her son was following in his footsteps. Haruma's brother-in-law Mwu was his mentor as well as his uncle and was currently training some local young men how to fight in combat. They had been patrolling the shore when they spotted her.

Lacus now looked about the simple attic room, furnished with only a straw mattress that she currently sat on, a wooden table and chair, and bunches of dried vegetables and spices, and thought about her friends and home. Is Cagalli fully recovered from the harpoon incident? Did Luna, Meyrin, and Milly find out what happened to her? Will they convince Uzumi to let her back into Eternal? The bottle of blue potion was still strung around her neck, a constant reminder to her of why she was here.

She was still pondering when she heard footsteps coming up the wooden ladder. Kira's brown head popped out from under the attic entrance, "Hi!" he said cheerfully. In his hands, he held a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread. As he climbed out of the entrance, Lacus could see that he had taken off the armor from the night before and had on a simple linen shirt, trousers, and brown boots. He set the food on the table and turned to look at her.

His expression was funny as he looked her up and down. She felt immediately self-conscious and she didn't even know why. Sure, the blue-colored gown Caridad had made her wear was low cut and showed off her shoulders and bust, but in the ocean she had been practically naked. Why was this mortal boy making her blush?

"How are you feeling?" he asked in his quiet way, purple eyes still on her.

She squirmed uncomfortably, "Good, thank you."

"How's your leg feeling?"

She lifted the edge of her gown up to look at the wound. It appeared about the same as the night before, still raw and red near the jagged scar, "Better, thank you."

At that, he laughed. Lacus was surprised. Shouldn't he be happy that she's thanking him?

The boy suddenly turned and began rummaging through the spices and dried herbs in the far side of the attic. After a while, he made a noise of triumph, turned, and walked to sit next to her on the straw bed, a corked clay bottle in his hand. Uncorking it, he gestured for Lacus to lift up her gown again. Puzzled and blushing, she did what she was told, exposing her right leg to his eyes. "This is one of remedies they give us for scrapes and cuts," he explained as he dipped his fingers into the bottle, "I was always getting little injuries during training, and this helps a lot." He spread the beige-colored substance on his fingers onto her wound. This time, she didn't flinch at his touch. He traced her scar, which started at the her lower thigh and ran down the side of her leg till her upper calf, and smoothly spread on the poultice. It actually did make the injury feel better and numbed the area. His fingers were gentle and soft. Lacus blushed again, but Kira didn't seem to notice. He corked the bottle and tossed it onto a sack of some blue-colored dried flowers. "You should eat. You'll feel stronger once you do," he told her, standing up, "I must go now, but maybe I'll come back to see you sometime. Get better, alright?"

Lacus gave him a small smile and he seemed satisfied. It was not until that all of his messy brown hair had disappeared beneath the attic entrance did she notice that she was still pulling up her gown. Blushing madly, she let go of her dress immediately, letting the thin fabric cover all of her leg.

She saw him very little the next day, for she was still very weak and could not leave the attic. Kira popped in to ask her how she was doing, giving her an encouraging grin and giving her the news that she might be able to stay with them indefinitely if Mwu could not locate any of her relatives. Caridad treated her very well and Lacus began to feel better.

A few more days passed and finally the pink-haired girl could manage to walk down the stairs and into the lower floor of the cottage. Caridad and Kira lived plainly. There was no decorations on the plain wooden walls but a hand drawn portrait of a brown-haired man who must be Kira's father. A larger table and several chairs sat in the one big room, and there was a smaller room with a large bed that Lacus assumed was Caridad's. But that was it, there was no other rooms. Then, she wondered, where did Kira sleep? When she asked Caridad, the older woman looked uncomfortable but did tell Lacus that the boy was currently bunking on the floor in the main room, as the attic was originally his room. Lacus began to protest, but Kira's mother assured her that they held no ill will toward her and Kira did not mind, in fact he had requested to do so. Though Lacus still felt quite bad about the situation afterward, she had to swallow it down.

The pink-haired girl was able to help Caridad a bit as the older woman cooked and chatted with her, telling her how proud she is that her son is doing well in his training to be a knight. Mother and son only got by because Haruma Yamato had sacrificed his life for the King when Kira was very young, so His Majesty gave the Yamatos a decent amount of money. However, since Caridad was a woman and could not work outside the home, the wealth had all been spent as Kira grew up. Now, it was his turn to support the family.

Lacus was surprised by the amount of pressure on the boy. He looked so carefree and gentle. How is it that he will be able to cut down other men in battle? Thus, one night days later when Kira, his uncle, and a few knights-in-training came to supper at the Yamatos' home, she could not help but glance at him once in a while, even catching his eye once before blushing furiously and turning away. She didn't see him smile at her reaction.

After supper, Lacus and Caridad cleaned up and the pink-haired girl retreated to the attic at the older woman's request to go "rest yourself, my dear." She had nothing to do but lay on the straw bed and listen to the men's chatter downstairs. As time ticked by, their voices slowly dimmed as she grew sleepy. She was sure she had fallen asleep when a voice suddenly called out to her, close to her face.

"Pssst! Lacus."

Blinking sleepily, she looked up to see Kira's grinning face very close to hers. Heart suddenly pounding, she sat straight up, nearly crashing into his head. "W-What is it?"

"Ssssh!" he put a hand to her mouth, "It's past midnight! Everyone's gone home and Mother's asleep, but I want to show you something!"

Confused, but trusting him wholeheartedly, she allowed the boy to lead her downstairs and out of the cottage. It was her first time outside the house and now she saw that it sat on a green hill further from the city than most, but still just a short walk away. The city itself looked big and bustling, even in the darkness. Lights from various tavern fires could be seen and the King's Palace stood tall and proud at the middle of Heliopolis with three enormous stone towers that rose from the internal courtyard. But that was not what Kira wanted to show her.

"Come on, it's this way!" He pulled her forward and they ran toward the ocean, away from the city. He finally stopped near the seashore, at the last bit of grassy hill before rocky sand took its place. Breathing hard, he turned to see Lacus struggling to catch her breath. She was not used to running and was amazed at even being able to hold on till now. Kira grinned. "Alright, look up!" She stood up straight and looked up at the vast dark sky filled with stars. But wasn't this normal? She was confused and glanced at Kira, who shook his head and nodded back up at the sky. She looked back up, and it was then that the sky suddenly exploded with light.


	4. 3: Largo

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD. Translations for all the song lyrics belong to animelyrics.

Ch.3 Largo (slowly)

High above the two young people, the night sky exploded with the light of a thousand shooting stars. The brilliant flashes of light lit up the starry night like a scattering of flying golden flames. Enchanted by the vivid beauty of the meteor shower, Lacus stood in awe. Kira, who was next to her, turned his eyes away from the spectacle overhead and looked at her, "Do you like it?" he grinned, knowing full well her answer.

"It is so beautiful!" she laughed, "I have never seen something like this before!"

"Because of Heliopolis' location near the coast, the sky is very clear here," the boy explained, "Every year, there is at least a few nights were we can see many shooting stars. I heard some of my uncle's friends mentioning how there will be some tonight, so I thought you might like it. It's the first time that you've laughed, you know, since you've been here."

"I.. well.." she didn't know what to say. Moved by his gentle kindness and turning pink again, she lowered her eyes from the stars and looked into his purple ones, "Thank you.. for everything."

He smiled, but then got a mischievous look on his face. "Are you sure you should be thanking me? Maybe you'll change your mind after this-" Suddenly leaning forward, he began to tickle her mercilessly. She couldn't help but laugh as she tried to dodge his quick attempts. As the shooting stars flew in the sky, the two teenagers ran through the grass. One forgetting about her past and old life and one forgetting about the duties and responsibilities of his future.

And so the days passed. Mwu had been unable to find any of Lacus's "relatives" and so Caridad had just let the girl stay with them. She helped Kira's mother cook, wash, and mend clothing while the boy continued his training. Lacus had almost completely forgotten about her beloved kingdom in the sea. She hid the bottle of blue potion under her straw bed and gave up on the hope that Uzumi will forgive her. In fact, as she spent more and more time with Kira and his mother, she began to actually enjoy living on land and seeing their cheerful faces everyday.

Kira treated her with care and was always gentle toward her. When he returned, tired and muddy, each night he always gave her a smile and let her fuss over him with Caridad. Sometimes, when he had time to spare, he took her around Heliopolis and showed her his favorite food stands and places to get away simply to just be alone and think.

He brought her to a small bakery once. The smiling lady inside welcomed them warmly, asking Kira how he and his mother were doing and asking about who the pretty young lady was. After explaining how the knights had found Lacus, both he and pink-haired girl flushed when the lady exclaimed, "Oh, my! Silly me, I thought she was your sweetheart, dear! If you both don't mind me saying, you two do appear very much like a pair!"

Shrugging off the slightly embarrassing moment, the brown-haired boy showed Lacus the various confections the shop made. She was delighted to find that the bakery produced breads that were molded to the shapes of sea animals. There was sugar buns shaped like sea stars, variety of bread loaves risen to become dolphins and seals, and scones baked to become small fish. Kira found that she knew a lot about the creatures that lived in the sea, and listened to her chatter about them, amused.

Another time, after a frustrating day of training, he had suddenly asked if she wanted to go with him to gaze at the sea. She was surprised that he liked to do that. Often, when Caridad was calling on friends and Lacus had nothing to do, she would stray a bit from the cottage and look lovingly at the sea and cascading waves that would not accept her now.

"Sure," she told him.

After supper, they walked far from the cottage, to a part of the beach Lacus had never seen before. This part of the seaside had huge mounts of black rock littering the ground. Small tidal pools filled with seaweed and small sea mammals also could be seen about the rocks. The two had to hike up a rocky hill to get to where Kira wanted to go. On top of the hill was a huge rock that looked like a mountain to Lacus. Kira climbed on top of it first, then helped her up. He slid down the other side of it to cross over the hill, his boots sinking into the sand on the other side. Feeling brave and seeing how easily the brown-haired boy had hopped down, Lacus was determined to get down herself. She leaned over the huge rock she was on and was about to slide down when she suddenly realized how high up she was. The sand below seemed like a mile away. She swallowed. Perhaps she had overestimated herself in that brief moment of confidence.

"Want some help?" Kira offered, his arms outstretched toward her.

"Um.." she felt bad that he had to help her so much, "I would like to try first.."

He grinned, nodded, and stepped aside to give her more space.

Alright, she told herself, One..two..three-

"Ooooph!" she felt herself leave the rock and fall to the sand below. For a moment, she felt suspended in the air, a nauseating feeling suddenly in the bottom of her stomach. But it was gone in a flash as she landed on the ground on all fours. Fortunately, the sand was soft and she let out a sigh of relief. Her companion chuckled as he watched her. She let out a laugh, too. She must have looked hilarious to Kira. Standing up and brushing sand off her skirt, she followed him as they weaved their way through a maze of large rocks.

He finally stopped when she could see the tide crashing gently onto the shore. "It's right here," he said, gesturing toward a small area that was surprisingly boulder-free after they had left the maze of rocks. From here, she could see the sea stretch on forever, and the water was five feet away. The rocks behind them provided both privacy and peace.

"It's the best time right now to be here," he added, nodding his head to the horizon, "Look."

The glowing orb that is the sun was setting, casting rays of golden light onto the setting, turning Kira's dark brown hair to a caramel color and causing Lacus's light-pink hair to glow.

"How did you find this place, Kira? It is amazing."

He grimaced, "Actually, I was being chased by some bullies from the city and we ran into these rocks. I hid until they gave up finding me and stumbled onto this place. But I'm glad I found it. I came here a lot when I was younger."

She smiled, "There are always good things that come out of bad."

He was startled to hear her say that, but nodded solemnly in agreement. Lacus suddenly had a thought and grabbed his hand. Laughing, she pulled him into the surf while he protested. Taking a handful of seawater, she tried to splash his arms. Unfortunately, her aim was off and the water hit the poor boy's face instead. But his shocked expression was so amusing that it caused her to laugh out loud. She was afraid he may be mad, but then the mischievous glimmer had gone back into his eyes and he grinned evilly. Taking a big handful of water, he got all of her side wet as she raised her arms to shield her face, both of them laughing. They didn't realize until the sky grew completely dark that it was time to return. Wet but cheerful, the two made their hike back to the cottage, teasing each other along the way.

He didn't have time to spend with her for a while after that, but she was content just being able to see his usual gentle smile every morning and night. One day, in the early hours of dawn he burst into the attic, pink with excitement. Lacus had just woken up and had no idea what was going on.

"What is wrong, Kira?"

"Nothing's wrong!" he exclaimed, plopping down next to her. "I..umm.. got you something." He shyly placed a package wrapped in brown paper in her hands, his hands slightly trembling. The package felt light but hard. She looked at him with a question in her blue eyes, but he kept his eyes down and muttered, "Open it."

Puzzled, she unfolded the crumpled wrapping to find, nestled in soft cotton, a pretty gold clip shaped like two smooth waves. "It's beautiful.." she said, fingering the pounded golden metal. Looking up to see Kira's twinkling violet eyes, she shyly asked, "You bought this for me?"

He nodded vigorously, "I saw it at a shop in the city when my uncle took us to the bazaar yesterday. There was a merchant selling jewelery. When I saw that clip, I thought of you. It'd look perfect."

Touched, she said, "Thank you so much. I love it." Impulsively, she took the clip and inserted it into her pink hair. He looked pleased by her response, scratching the back of his head as he blushed a bit. She smiled, both inwardly and out.

And so the happy days continued. Kira's Uncle Mwu came over to the Yamatos for supper very often. He was always kind to Lacus, and caused everyone who was with him to fall into uncontrollable fits of laughter when he started teasing and telling jokes. However, he did also bring solemn news once in a while. Lacus heard him whispering to Caridad once that he did not feel that Kira will be able to live the life of a knight well. The boy was too kind and in fights, he just defended himself and refused to strike his opponents. Though Mwu saw great potential in Kira, he asked Caridad to reconsider having Kira be a knight. Caridad was very worried over the situations, as Kira, being Haruma's son, had a inherited duty to serve the kingdom, especially since King George had bestowed money on the Yamatos. There was no way Kira could escape from being a knight, and she had to tell Mwu so. Thus, the older man could only keep training the boy, forcing him to learn the art of war.

Lacus could tell that Kira was not enjoying his training, either. There were many times that he looked solemn and sad when he arrived home. She wished she could do more than smile encouragingly. She didn't know why, but Kira's pain bothered her enormously.

She thought she found a way to cheer him up when Caridad sent her to pick up some food at the stands one day. As she purchased the specifics, an old man walked up to her. She had seen the elderly man talk to several passerby's before he came to her. She wondered what he wanted to tell her.

"Ah, young miss!" the man gave her a toothy smile, "My boy's tavern is having a fiddle fest tonight. I would appreciate it if you would spread the word. Anyone aching for a night of music and joy should come! It will be at the Four Leaf Clover tavern." He pointed out the stone building to her.

"Thank you," she told him, not thinking much of it until when Kira came home that night. He look disheveled and particularly unhappy. There were black circles under his eyes and he could barely manage his usual smile for his mother and her. Perhaps he would enjoy a night of music with her?

Thus, she shyly approached him at the dinner table after she and Caridad had cleaned up after supper. "Kira?"

He looked up in reply.

"Um.. Would you like to go somewhere with me tonight?"

There was no glimmer of interest those violet eyes she loved, "Tonight, Lacus? I'm a bit tired tonight.."

"O-oh, that is fine!" the pink-haired girl stammered, "I just.. silly me! Of course you are- yes, tired! I am sorry.."

"Maybe next time.." he tried to smile for her, but failed and looked away miserably.

She sighed softly to herself as she walked away. Now she's gone and made him feel bad and made herself seem like utter fool. Her good intentions had only made things worse, and she had no idea what to say to Kira now.

When it became late, she retired to the attic in a slump. Unable to think about anything else, she tried to distract herself by humming a sea folk melody that she and her friends used to sing in the ocean. Everyone always said Lacus had the most amazing voice, but she was too modest to see it for herself. Allowing her mind to wander to the endless waves of the dark waters, she soon forgot about the misfortunes of the day and unawarely began to sing out loud. It was a ballad, full of passionate emotion. The merpeople's voice was considered enchanting, their songs hauntingly beautiful no matter what they sung.

"In this silent night, I'm waiting for you

During that time, your smile has faded

Now that a little time has passed,

Fond memories start to resurface

At the place where stars fall,

I'm always wishing for your laughter,

Even though we're apart now

We can meet again, right?"

She didn't realize that by the end of her song, Kira's brown-haired head was staring at her from the ladder of the attic, his mouth open in amazement at the girl's voice.

"How..Lacus, where did you learn to sing like that?" he asked, startling her badly as he climbed up to sit on the floor of the attic.

"K-Kira! Y-you heard.." she knew she could not explain to him that she, like all mermaids, sounded mesmerizing to all men, "Umm.. I.. I always sang like that.."

"You sound so.." he struggled for the word, "_Captivating_. My Uncle Mwu would say you could sing like the sirens of the sea."

_Oh no_, thought Lacus, _He cannot know about my past!_ "S-sirens?"

"The mermaids of legend," Kira smiled, "There are always old fishermen' tales of those creatures that sing to lead sailors to their doom. But my uncle claims that when he was young, he met a mermaid who had magic that could turn her tail into legs and walk on land. He boasts that he fell in love with that girl and that she had most beautiful voice. But then, we all know how Uncle Mwu is with stories and mischief. He probably made it all up."

"I could not possible.. compare to them," she said, struggling to remain calm, even though she knew Kira did not know that she was a mermaid. If he did know, he would hate her for lying to him and his mother. He would be disgusted that she was not his kind and regret saving her. He would.. never return her feelings.

"You sing amazingly, though," he said, looking unwaveringly into her baby blue eyes, "You shouldn't be ashamed of that."

"I-..Thank you.." she blushed, then tried to regain her composure, "A-Are you feeling better?"

"Huh?" he looked confused at her question, "What do you mean? I'm not sick."

"No, it's just.." she looked away in embarrassment, "I know you must not like your training a lot.. You always seem so tired and sad when you come home, and I.. well, today I asked you to go out because I wanted you to feel better. I wanted you to be.. happy."

He blinked, looking startled by her observations, "I'm not unhappy, Lacus! Well.. actually, maybe a little. I don't really like to fight," he confessed, looking down at his hands, "I don't know why. Maybe I'm a pacifist, but I can't stand to stab and wound other people. I know I'm supposed to serve the King, but I've never seen him or know what his intentions are. The people simply just listen to him, so I don't really know what I'm fighting for.. It's just something I must do to support my mother and myself."

Lacus nodded understandingly. There was not much she could add to that. "Yes.. Sometimes there are things that we must do, even though we know we are sacrificing a part of ourselves," she said gently, "Because it must be done. Because others shall benefit from it." She thought of her own exile, how the King must of thought that her banishment will show others that they cannot approach humans, how no one can break the laws of a great king.

"I'm sorry." His apology brought her back to reality.

"Hm? Why?"

"For refusing to go with you tonight," he said, cheeks pink, "I know you just wanted to help, but I was.. an idiot."

"It is alright," she smiled, leaning forward to brush his brown bangs from his violet eyes, "I understand."

"You always do," he laughed, "I feel better already. Just by talking to you. You have that effect, you know. You can always make me feel better."

"T-Thank you." Shyly, she snatched her hand back at his words.

"But you know what will make me feel even better?"

"Huh?" She looked up to see his glittering eyes.

"Will you sing me a song?" He asked.

"A song? I don't know.." She didn't want to enchant him, to put him under a false spell when what she truly desired was his genuine feelings.

"Please? I'll feel a lot better." She looked at him, which she realized was a huge mistake. One look into his gentle face and pleading eyes and she was instantly defeated.

"Um..umm.. alright.." She muttered softly, clasping her hands nervously in her lap.

He let out a small noise of victory and grinned widely at her.

She pursed her lips, "I am not guaranteeing that you will not have nightmares after hearing this."

"Trust me, I won't." His firm reply almost caught her off guard, but she recovered quickly.

"A-Alright. Here it is, then. Umm.. I learned to sing it a long time ago. It's called Token of Water." And so, she began to sing, closing her eyes.

"The night is wavering in the water

The greening shore is so still and silent

That it is painful

If only I could wait

For a beautiful dawn

With a pure heart...

Who told me that

There is a land without any conflicts

Beyond the dark seas and skies?

No one can reach that land,

Or perhaps it only exists in someone's heart

A melody that can quench the thirst

Of the land that calms the waters' flow

Even if it does not exist anywhere right now,

I will come to possess it

Always, someday, for sure

Let the token of water be in my hands

Even after engulfing all the flames,

It still continues to flow, gently and broadly

I will reach its tranquility

Always, someday, for sure

With your hand in mine.."

As the final words of her song faded away, she opened her eyes to find Kira gazing intently at her with an expression that she could not pinpoint. She suddenly became nervous again. Did she enchant him with her siren song? She had tried her best to sing without feeling like she was a mermaid luring a sailor, but who she is will always be a part of her, and the power of the mermaids along with it. "D-Did you like it?"

He didn't speak at first, just slowly stood up, still with an intense look on his face. Closing the distance between them with a few quick strides of his long legs, he drew Lacus into an embrace. She felt a rush of emotions at his touch. Startled by his action, yet craving his warmth, she just let him hold her. She could feel him shaking a little but when he finally pulled back after an enormously long time, she could tell he had composed himself.

"Thank you." Those two words came out in a whisper from him, but she didn't need them to know how he felt. She could feel it.

"I am glad it helped."

He just smiled and nodded. Turning to leave quietly, he caught her hand. Giving her a reassuring squeeze, he began to climb down the ladder steps. As Lacus watched him go, her heart clenched sadly. Half with pain for Kira's plight, and half for what she had just done to him. She had very likely just entranced him with an otherworldly song, mesmerized him to her by the power of her voice. His eyes had held that emotion she could not explain. It had to be her doing. He had needed comfort and she had taken advantage of it to draw him closer to her. It shouldn't be this way. She sighed sorrowfully. She had already made a mess of her own emotions and was confused by her feelings for the young man.

She cannot make a mess of his.

A/N: I feel like the songs Lacus sings here are so overused in GSD fiction, but I totally blanked out when I was trying to find songs that would work! On a personal note, I want to thank everyone that reviewed this story! :) It really motivates me.


	5. 4: Vivo

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And BlitzUltimate09: the clip's in the shape of two waves, the same clip Lacus wears in GS/GSD.

Ch.4 Vivo (alive &lively)

After Lacus's encouragement and his mother's constant support, Kira seemed to be doing better with his training. He now appeared to be happy and everyone just assumed he dealt with everything wonderfully, but Lacus knew better. When he thought there was no one looking, he would let down his guard and his sadness could still be seen burning bright in his violet eyes. Still, she did not know just how much he hated his training. That is, until she found him one afternoon, sitting on top of hill some distance from the cottage. She had been taking some clothes off the clothesline outside the cottage to bring them inside when she spotted his solitary figure.

"Kira?" she had walked out to him after setting the clothes inside. "Are you alright?"

He turned his head to look at her, and she was startled by the emotion written on his face.

"What is the matter?" she asked immediately, "Did something happen?"

When he didn't reply, she knelt down next to him and tried to peer into his deep purple eyes. That was when, without a word, he reached out and pulled her to sit beside him, burying his face into her shoulder and holding on to her. Lacus let out a gasp of surprise, but let him hold her. His strong arms wrapped tightly around her, yet his body was shaking.

"K-Kira..?"

"I don't want to fight anymore!" he confessed, "I don't want to learn how to kill people!" Letting her go, he lowered his eyes, "Even though they all say I have great potential..I hate it.."

"B-But.."

"I know.." he sighed, "But I do hate it so much, Lacus, I do! I've tried to want to kill, but now I know that I will never be able to do it without feeling guilt or grief!"

He did his best to control his feelings, but a tear of frustration managed to slip down his face. Lacus gently lifted her hand to his face and with a soft finger, wiped it away from the beautiful violet eyes and overgrown brown hair. He looked up at her touch, caught her eye. She did not know how many moments passed as they looked at each other. His hand reached out to cover hers that cupped the side of his cheek. Her heart began to pound as if there was no tomorrow.

The moment was broken when they heard Caridad call out for Lacus from the cottage. Lacus started, realized how she and Kira must look like to others, blushed, and pulled her hand out of Kira's in an instant. She turned to run back, but behind her Kira called out her name, "Lacus!"

She turned to see him give her a sad smile, "Thank you.. again."

Something in her heart died when she saw the sorrow on his handsome face, "It will be alright, Kira. It will."

But it wasn't.

Though Kira was excelling at everything the knights did, including finally fighting back, Mwu had told Caridad that he still was not living up the expectations of the older knights. They still believed that he needed to rid himself of any sympathy or regret for his opponents. It was a problem that needed fixing. Thus, the adults decided that Kira should leave home for a while to stay with the more seasoned knights at their camping and training grounds near the Palace. This way, he will learn from the best and be exposed to more fights that may harden him. When Caridad had sadly told Lacus of their decision, she was heartbroken. Sometime between Kira's rescue of her and the present day, she had become attached to the gentle boy and craved his attention with all her heart. There were many times when she wondered if she loved him. He seemed to feel the same way, but what if he did not? Did she dream all this up? Either way, she just didn't want him to leave!

The day Kira was set to leave, she could not bear to look at him. He tried to catch her eye and talk to her on several occasion, but she avoided him. As nighttime drew nearer, she climbed up to the attic, sat on the bed, and stared down, not seeing anything at all.

"Hey." Kira had followed her up. He sat down next to her. "Lacus, you're crying!" he look startled.

"Huh?" she touched her face and realized that she really was crying. Tears ran down in channels down her cheeks. "I-I-"

"I guess you will miss me, then." he faked a smile, "Hey, come here.."

She let him take her into his arms. He was so comforting and _warm_, something so different from everyone else and even more different from the cold, calm comfort of the sea. In that moment, she realized she did love him. How could she have not realized? That every time she was happy, she wanted to share her joy with him. That she thought of him whenever she had new stories and news to tell. That she would do anything he asked. That she would be alright even if she had nothing but him. She did love him. So much that her heart wanted to burst at the thought of not being able to see him for a long time. "Kira, I.. Will you miss me, too?"

He tilted her chin up to look her firmly in the eyes, "There's no doubt that I will miss you, Lacus."

She couldn't look away from his violet eyes. Something held her still, and with a jolt she realized that Kira was leaning in closer. _Is he.. going to kiss me?_ She wondered in amazement as their lips neared.

"KIRRAAAA! Time to go, boy! Haha.. Thanks for supper, Caridad!" Mwu's hearty voice called out.

Kira pulled away instinctively at that. Lacus looked down, embarrassed.

"I better go.." the boy said slowly, standing up and heading to the ladder, "But, I'm going to prove to them that I can do this. I want to come back here to Mother and you."

"Kira.." she stood up, too, "I know you can do it."

He smiled. Closing the distance between them, he pulled her to him by the shoulders and gently kissed her cheek. "Wait for me, Lacus." he whispered into her ear.

With that, he turned suddenly and ran down the wooden steps, leaving the pink-haired girl in a mixture of shock, sadness, and elated joy.

Kira's last words to her kept her going through the endless days that she could not see him. Caridad would go once in a while to visit her son and brother, but did not bring Lacus along because it was unsuitable for an unmarried young girl to go into the barracks of many men, some of whom can be considered dangerous and with improper thoughts. On those days, Lacus could only do the housework that Caridad had assigned her and gaze longingly out the window, wishing that she was the one going to see Kira. How was he doing? Were the men treating him good or bad? Caridad always said he was doing well, but knowing Kira, he would say anything to put his mother at rest. Lacus had always assumed that she would wait for the boy to return and perhaps then tell her how he felt. She thought that maybe.. just maybe, he loved her, too. If he did, and he certainly had acted like he did, she would commit herself to a life on land. She would not have any regrets about being exiled into the human world, for Kira alone was all she could ever want. Somewhere deep in her heart, she trusted that he must love her Things _will_ be alright.

That is, until the night she saw the princess of Heliopolis.

"Lacus? Do be a dear and deliver these loaves to the Amarfis' house, please." Caridad beckoned the girl.

"Sure." Lacus had grown accustomed to doing small delivers for the generous lady. Even some of the folks who knew Caridad had gotten to know Lacus. The Amarfis were a friendly family that were great friends with the Yamatos and Caridad often sent Lacus with offerings of good will.

That night, she walked quickly to her destination, accepted the generous thank-you's that the kind family bestowed and started her walk back to the cottage. As she passed by a common tavern on the side of the road leading out to the hills, she heard several shouts coming from inside.

"Ah, Kira, you dog! How did you get the princess here to like you?" she heard a male voice say.

What? Kira was in there? She stopped mid-step and backtracked to one of the tavern's windows. Peering through the dusty, cracked glass, she immediately spotted the brown-haired young man. He was sitting with a few young men and also an extremely pretty red-haired young lady. The girl held herself with an air of royalty and attitude. She also held Kira's hand. Lacus could see their entwined fingers lying on top of a tavern table. Her heart began to pound painfully fast.

What was this? _Was it really Kira in there?_ She asked herself, _What is he doing? Who is the girl he's __with?_

She knew she wasn't supposed to be there and she definitely wasn't supposed to listen to the group's conversation, but she had to know what was going on.

"Because he's the best knight there is!" the red-headed girl was saying, "I chose him because he'll be able to protect me forever. Isn't that right, Kira? You'll fight for me, won't you?"

"Um.. Of course, Princess." she heard Kira reply. Wait, _Princess_? The girl in the tavern was the Princess of Heliopolis? Caridad had said that King George only had one daughter. Her name was Fllay, and she was his treasure. Beautiful and vain, the girl did not have a good reputation among the people of the city, but she was the only heir, after all. People did what they had to to get in her favor because of her influence on her father, who granted her anything she wished. Lacus could not help but compare the spoiled girl to Cagalli, who was also the only daughter of a king. Cagalli was strong and brave, always kind to those in need.

If what Caridad had said was true, then why was Kira here with the princess? Why is he saying he'll protect her when he had told Lacus to wait for him? What is she to him? Or better yet, what is he to _her_? For if the princess had claimed him, how can Lacus compete with her?

Her head pounding with questions and her heart pounding with pain, Lacus almost sank to the ground. She felt a stab of emotion that she had never felt before. It was more than hurt. It wasn't dislike. It was a mixture of both and then a wish to do ill to the girl inside. She could not say what it was, but she did not like feeling this way. That was it, she had to get out of there.

Lifting up the skirt of her gown, she began to run. Run away from the scene she had witnessed; running away from what is sure to become more pain and anguish.

But she could not run away from the fact that two extremely long days later, she received the news that would shatter her feelings into even more pieces. Mwu had come to Caridad's cottage to tell her that Princess Fllay had seen Kira in training, been smitten by him, and had made Kira her personal knight. He would serve her and be a constant companion to the princess. Mwu also let slip that it was within the Princess's intentions to one day force the boy into marrying her. Mwu and Caridad were not particularly ecstatic about this decision, but they had no choice but to follow the orders of royalty. The adults did not want Lacus to know, for they were not blind and saw how Kira and Lacus had acted with each other. They knew the young people had strong feelings for each other, but there just was no other choice. If Kira did not obey, then not only will he be punished, so will his family and relatives. But Lacus did hear. She knew Mwu would be coming with news about Kira and so listened hard from the attic room. She heard every word.

So it hadn't been Kira's choice to be with the princess.. But he certainly did not seem to mind in the tavern. After all, he was a man, and all the men in the kingdom revered Fllay's beauty. Was this it? Is this going to be the end of her fairytale? How could the princess take away Kira? The more Lacus thought about it, the more jealousy she felt. Fllay will get to see Kira every day. She'll be in his arms whenever she wishes. She'll be the one feeling the warmth of his embraces and gazing into his gentle eyes. Oh, why oh why did it have to be like this? If the princess had not come into the picture, all Lacus had to do was wait. Now, no matter how long she waited, the boy she loved can never choose her, because he had no choice.

_Stop_, she told herself, _Do not feel this way. This emotion is hurtful, it will bring harmful thoughts and dreadful intentions. It is your own fault that you fell in love with a mortal boy. You were not meant to be here, after all. You are not of this world of humans. Now you must accept the fact of reality. You.. __will never get to be with him._

But she could not help but feel the jealousy inside of her. It grew more and more each day that she missed the boy she longed to see. She could only imagine what he was doing with the princess. She wished she knew how he felt. If he was satisfied with being with Fllay, then there was nothing she could do but accept it. She had to know. There must be some way that she could speak to him.

She found that opportunity several days later when she heard Mwu mention on a visit to Caridad that he had ordered Kira and a few others to patrol the same seashore they had found her at. It would be the first patrol that Kira and the young knights would do alone, without the experienced older knights. The princess would definitely not be there. Lacus knew this would be her only chance to see him, and so she convinced herself it was the right thing to do. Now the only problem that remained was how she was going to talk to him alone if he would be surrounded by friends?

As the sun sank slowly into the western sea, Kira and his companions readied themselves for their first patrol, overseen by Mwu. There was much more on the young man's mind than just nerves, but he tried to distract himself by chatting with the other inexperienced men rather than dwell on his thoughts. So much had happened between his leaving home and the present that every time he tried to sort out his feelings, he just felt more confused. Strapping on his armor and sheathed sword, he was not looking forward to the night of no sleep and endless wandering. There was ten young men in his group, and Mwu had paired the boys up to patrol different areas of a section of the coast of Heliopolis. Kira's partner was the Amarfis' green-haired boy, Nicol. Nicol was polite, knowledgeable, and a good sport. Kira was relieved to be partnered with him rather than some of the other boys, say, the fiery Yzak Jule or stubborn Auel Neider. As Mwu gave his final instructions of the night, he and Nicol stood to attention. They set out with the other groups, each heading toward their own stretch of land to guard. The two boys made small talk, mostly chatting about the various happenings during training and some of the horrendous foods the cooks concocted once in a while to terrify them. When they had arrived at their destination, the two had nothing more to do but keep watch and keep talking. Even though Kira liked Nicol a lot, the two had their differences and after a while, both had run out of things to say. The moon had full risen now, and lit the coast with an eerie light. The area where the two boys were at held a small forest that gave way to the sea. It was very peaceful. Mwu had told them to never let themselves stray from their purpose, and though both knew that they must be alert, soon the two boys were drifting off into their own thoughts and began to wander away from each other as they patrolled the area. Kira was moving deeper into the forest while Nicol walked close to the beach. The brown-haired boy peered drowsily into the foliage, and, seeing nothing, decided to make his way back to his partner. Just as he was about to walk away, a familiar sound was heard. It sounded like.. _singing_. He immediately became alert and strained to hear. It was definitely someone singing. _Why would someone be singing here? Why would anyone even be here to begin with? _He wondered. The person singing continued their song. It sounded so_ familiar_. He began to move closer toward the sound. Being careful not to make much sound, he led himself through the woods as the hauntingly melodious song became louder. Then, with a start, he realized. It was Lacus. It had to be. But.. _what was she doing here? _With that thought in mind, he broke into a run. He had to find her! Crashing through the leaves of the bushes, he followed the singer's voice until he finally spotted the person in the distance, standing in front of a large tree near the edge of the forest.

It _was _Lacus. Her pink hair floating over her shoulders and her back to him, she had no idea he was behind her. Eyebrows knitted in worry, he rushed over to her.

"Lacus! What are you doing here?" he asked furiously, grabbing her shoulders. She gasped, her song cut short by Kira's surprise attack. Eyes wide, she looked up at him as he turned her around.

"K-Kira!" He thought that perhaps something bad had happened, and thus was shocked when she suddenly smiled brightly, "I knew you would find me if I sung!"

He was puzzled, but still angry that she was here, all alone, "What do you mean? Are you saying you did this on purpose?"

"I-I had to!" she protested, realizing that he was not very pleased with her actions, "I need to talk to you!"

"About what? You didn't have to come here _now_! You could always wait for me to come home," he told her, purple eyes frustrated.

She looked hurt by his words, but shrugged it off, "Kira, you are not going to come home anytime soon. You know that.. I know that. That is why I had to come find you. I need to ask you something."

"What, then? What is it?"

She looked like she was struggling with herself when she finally asked, "Kira, are you in love with the Princess?" Her blue eyes looked both sad and sincere, and suddenly all those thoughts and emotions Kira did not want to deal with at the moment rushed back to him.

"Ha- What are you talking about?" he stammered, "Where did you hear this?"

"I know, Kira," she said quietly, looking down to the ground, "Everyone knows. That Princess Fllay chose you to be her knight. How you cannot ever come back to us. How you will probably fall in love with her.. if you have not already." She looked up at him, swallowing, "I need to know how you feel, Kira. You told me to wait for you, and I _will_! But the Princess.. I need to know your feelings."

He had to look away from her firm glance. "L-Lacus.."

"Please, Kira. Please tell me."

He let out a deep sigh, eyes hidden by his long bangs. After a moment of silence, he finally turned his head to face her. His dark purple eyes were clear and sparkling in the moonlight. And they looked intensely straight at her. "I love_ you_, Lacus."

For a split second, she could not believe what she heard. Then, when she realized what he had said, she felt a joy so immense that her chest was bursting. "Kira!"

"I love you, Lacus," he told her again, with the same peculiar emotion on his face that she could not explain, "I'm not in love with the Princess. I have to do what she wishes and keep her satisfied by my actions because she is my mistress, but that does not mean she owns my heart."

"I..you.. when..?"

He smiled sadly. "Ever since I first saw you. Ever since you entered my life. I couldn't help it. Just as I can't help it now, even though I'm to be bound to the Princess for a life of servitude.. and whatever else she may desire."

Lacus felt her joy slip away in a flash at his last sentence. "For life..? Even if you and another..? I mean, I-I also.. l-l-love you.." He smiled at that, "Why did she chose _you_?"

"She saw me training with the others," Kira said slowly, "It was one of the days we had to spar with each other. I hated it, but when opponent came at me, I just.. snapped. I fought and I won.. I guess that caught her attention. And I don't know why, but she started to talk to me. She said she saw a great strength in me. Said I was different from the others. She even had me protect her when she would go to the city. I don't know why she chose me, Lacus, but it's not something I can refuse."

"You.. don't like her at all, Kira?" the pink-haired girl could not help asking, "She's so beautiful.."

He looked at her incredulously at that, but realized she was sincere in her question. He reached out to put his hands on her shoulder. "So are you. If you're saying it like that.."

She blushed, but regained composure quickly. "What are we going to do, Kira?" She asked sadly, "How are you ever going to come back to me?"

He didn't say anything for a while, lost in pondering her question.

_There was nothing he could do_, Lacus realized, they were in this predicament purely because there was nothing neither of them can do but suffer. "It is alright, Kira," she said quietly, "I will be alright. I just.. want you to be happy. If you can be happy with the Princess.. then I-"

He cut her off suddenly, squeezing her shoulders so that she looked up at him, startled, "No, Lacus! Don't say that. I would never be happy with another girl. Not truly happy, not truly myself. Don't give up."

"But it is hopeless.. We have no power," she whispered, "Our situation is simply.. unsolvable."

"Give me time," he pleaded, "Give me some time to think things over and try to figure out a way. Please wait for me. Please."

"Kira.."

"I will find a way, Lacus."

Though miserable with knowing there could be little he could do, the pink-haired girl nodded slowly, wanting to trust what Kira said. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could make a sound, a yell could be heard through the trees.

"KIIIIRAAAAAA! Oy, YAMATOOO! Are you in there?" Nicol's frantic voice sounded near where the two were standing.

Kira panicked immediately. "Lacus, I'm sorry, I have to go!" Giving her a final pleading glance, he turned to go. "Please, wait for me. Trust me." He said, without looking at her, and left, running to meet Nicol before the green-haired boy could find Lacus.

The girl watched him go with a mixture of emotions rushing through her. She was sorry to see him go, for she knew she would miss him and crave his presence. Yet she was content to learn his feelings for her and that if she just wait, everything will be alright. Would everything be alright? Would Kira's feelings never change? She could only wait to find out.

As for the brown-haired boy, he was about to be interrogated by an irked and irritated Nicol, who saw him at once when Kira ran out to meet him. "Where have you been, Kira?" Nicol demanded, "I didn't see you for such a long time! I thought perhaps you got hurt or someone ambushed you or something!"

"I'm sorry, Nicol. I was just.." Kira searched his head for an excuse that would work.

"Just what, exactly?"

"Umm.."

"Spit it out!"

"..Relieving myself."

"..Oh."


	6. 5: Agitato

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, especially Mathiasosx, RakusuKurain, and BlitzUltimate09 :). Hope you guys like this chapter, though there's a lot of Fllay and not-so-happy happenings for Lacus in this one. I don't hate Fllay or anything, but since most stories have to have an antagonist, she's the one in this one.

Ch.5 Agitato (restless)

As the golden ball of fire that was the sun rose the next morning, Lacus peered out the window of the cottage. The city of Heliopolis was illuminated by the gentle morning. There were never sights like this in the ocean, she realized. In the sea, there was beauty, of course, in the endless coral reefs, kelp forests, and schools of multi-colored fish and sea mammals. But this was land beauty, and it had its own mysterious way of entrancing her every time she took the time to enjoy it.

She hummed softly to herself as she did her chores. A surprise came when Mwu walked through the font door. Stretching and stifling a yawn, he grinned at Lacus and waved hello to his sister. Caridad immediately began to badger him with questions about Kira and the patrol the night before. Mwu laughed heartily, "That boy is getting better and better each day! Last night was great! When I checked on him and the Amarfi boy they were doing a great job. Had their eyes wide open, surprisingly!"

Lacus smiled to herself. It was great knowing that she hadn't caused too much trouble for the brown-haired boy. Mwu continued to praise Kira some more, and didn't bring up his earlier troubles with fighting, to both the women's relief. Caridad served her brother some breakfast and after wolfing the lot down, the blonde-haired man got ready to leave.

"Take care, now," he told them, then turned specifically to Lacus, "If I were you, I'd take a walk along the coast after breakfast. The place where we first saw you. There might be something you'd like to see." Chuckling at both Caridad and Lacus's puzzled expressions, he walked out of the cottage.

"Guess you should take a walk and see, dear," Kira's mother said cheerfully, "I must visit a friend today anyways. This way, we'll both be occupied."

"Oh! Alright.." Lacus wondered what Mwu wanted her to see.. Could it be that Kira somehow got out of the Princess's clutches and came to see her? When that thought popped up in her conscience she immediately perked up. Quickly bidding farewell to Caridad, she rushed outside. Perhaps Kira already found a way to escape! Oh, how great would that be! She practically floated down to the seaside.

But there was no one in sight yet. She trekked hurriedly to the place where Kira had rescued her. He must be around there somewhere. Maybe he was hiding? Yet there was no large rocks or dips in the landscape to hide anyone. Where was he?

She searched worriedly around the area, even peering far into the little forest groves that littered nearby before returning to the exact spot where they had first met. Still no Kira. She was growing frustrated and as time passed and no one showed up, she wondered just why exactly did Mwu send her here for? After waiting a while longer, Lacus decided to stop. Since it seemed obvious that no one was coming, she should just return back. Sighing softly, she turned to go, but suddenly a flash of gold caught her eye. Doubling back, she realized that the shining golden flash came from the waves near the shore, just a bit farther from where she was standing. Curiosity getting the best of her, she ventured down to the tides. As she neared the golden wave, a figure became clearer under the water.

No way. Could it be?

Lacus gasped as the Sea Witch rose out of the ocean to greet her. Rising on her glittering tail, Murrue's warm brown eyes meet Lacus's shocked blue ones. Foam from the sea sprayed around them as the Witch's tail shifted beneath her. Murrue smiled.

"W-What are you doing here?" Lacus asked, slightly panicking, "It's almost mid-day! What if you are seen!"

The Witch laughed. "Do not worry, young one," she told the pink-haired girl, "I have my ways and I assure you, no one will know that I am here."

"Wait a minute," Lacus murmured, "How did Kira's Uncle Mwu know.. Are you contacting a human from the sea?"

"I am not," Murrue's eyes twinkled with unspoken secrets, "But there are things that you will not know and things that I do not have to explain, for there is nothing that concerns it now. How I got here and how a mortal may know is not of the essence. However, the reason why I am here is. There is much that I am to tell you, young mermaid Lacus."

"I-I am sorry," the pink-haired girl muttered, "Please, do tell."

"First and foremost, I am to tell you that your friends are missing you a great deal and craving your return," the older mermaid said with a smile, "Or else I am afraid Princess Cagalli will threaten to feed me to the sharks." Lacus laughed at that, she was glad Cagalli seemed to have made an excellent recovery from the harpooning incident.

"Then, I must tell you that the Counsel and King Uzumi have made a decision concerning your banishment. With the Princess and her friends' constant urging and persuasion, the King and Counsel have decided that your stay on land has been long enough. A young mermaid punished with being alone in the human world has never occurred before. They feel that you must have learned your lesson by now. You may return to us soon. When you do, I will be here to help you exchange your mortal legs for your original tail."

The Witch gazed at Lacus as she finished her speech. The young mermaid looked torn between great joy and great sadness. Her pretty face held an expression that made it clear to Murrue that Lacus did not know quite what to do with herself.

"But it is not as easy as that, is it?" The older mermaid asked gently, "Do you have an attachment here on land?"

"I- I.." Lacus stammered, "It is..well, I have met some great people, and to leave so suddenly.. When must I go?" She asked, looking up at Murrue.

"You do not have to. The sea folk are not begging you to return. They are only saying they will open their arms to accept you if you choose to. But I must warn you, if you do not choose to return soon, the merpeople may never welcome you back. We are a proud people," Murrue said, with a hint of unhappiness, "And I can tell you with certainty that once this chance is passed, it shall never come again."

"So.. I must go soon?" Lacus swallowed, "How _soon_ is soon? If I may ask.."

"By the next passing of a full moon," the Witch responded, "You must know of the moon by now? It has just been a full moon, so I would say by the next time the moon glows completely bright, you must make your decision. By that time, I shall return here to see what you have decided. I will also try to persuade the King and grant you more time as of now, but a whole metamorphosis of the moon should be more than enough.. Or is it?" She said, noticing the shadow of sadness that passed through the younger mermaid's face.

"T-Thank you," Lacus swallowed, taking in all the information, "I will think about my choice. Will I be able to talk to you again? Before you come to hear my decision?"

The brown-haired mermaid gave her a gentle smile, "Most likely not. I cannot risk letting my identity to be known by venturing too many times to this place. This decision is also entirely your choice. I will not tell you anything that will make you choose one or the other. This time, I'm afraid, you must do this on your own."

"My choice.." Lacus whispered. How could she choice? Her friends or Kira? A life of accustomed comfort or a life of unexpected adventures?

"I must go now," the Witch told her, "I have been here much too long. Think hard on this, young one." She took her hand and lightly touched Lacus's shoulder. "I will be back by the next full moon. Take care of yourself."

And then she was gone. Gone in a flicker of a golden tail and a splash that sprayed flying drops of seawater onto Lacus's cheeks, leaving the pink-haired girl utterly alone.

_What should I do?_ Lacus thought as she walked slowly back to Caridad's cottage. Oh, this is just too much to think about! She had thought she had enough to deal with emotionally due to Princess Fllay's claiming of Kira. Now this? She had not wanted to make this choice. Because she knew deep down.. she would choose him, no matter what. She had thought she could just blame her exile on the King and the Counsel, using their unforgiveness to make it alright for her to continue to live on land. But now that it is up to her, she felt that if she do not choose to go back to the sea that it will be betrayal, that she chose to give up her tail for a mortal boy's love. But.. it was _love_. And Lacus craved Kira's love. She would lose Cagalli, she would lose her friends and her beloved undersea world. But she would have Kira... right? Yes, she would if only there wasn't Fllay..

Lacus, being lost in her thoughts, had gotten to the front door of the cottage. She suddenly realized that instead of the usual quiet and peaceful state the house would be in, right now there sounded like there was a horde of loud and conspicuous people inside. Panicking that perhaps Caridad was in trouble, she burst into the cottage to find at least a dozen knights lounging around. Mwu was back and hadn't noticed Lacus yet, but Caridad was still not home. She did not know the other men, except one..

"Kiiiraaa! Your house is so little!" A girl's voice sounded from the attic, the place where Lacus usually slept.

The pink-haired girl was alarmed to find the same pretty, redhead girl from the tavern.. Princess Fllay.. who was wearing a beautiful red gown, climbing down the wooden ladder, dragging behind her none other than Kira.

What were they doing here? As Kira climbed down the steps after Fllay, he looked up- straight into Lacus's startled eyes.

"Hmph?" Fllay turned to see where Kira was looking at. Seeing Lacus, she immediately narrowed her gray eyes. "Now who is _this_?" She turned to Kira, noting the gentle shock on his face when he saw Lacus, "A servant, perhaps?"

She let go off Kira's hand and strode quickly to Lacus. Grabbing the pink-haired girl's arm, she demanded, "Who are you?"

Lacus could only stare at her in shock.

"What are you? Mute? Did you not hear my question?"

"S-She's a maid!" Kira came up behind her and quickly grabbed Fllay's hand, forcing her to let go of Lacus. Stepping in between the two, he looked at the princess, "She helps my mom out since I can't be here."

"Ah, I see. A lowly servant girl.." Fllay looked at Lacus coldly, "Let's not waste my time by speaking to her, Kira." She whirled around to walk elsewhere, pulling the brown-haired boy with her. He turned and tried to catch Lacus's eye, but the pink-haired girl looked away sadly.

By now, Mwu had seen Lacus. The blonde man came up to her now, "Lacus! I'm sorry to barge in here now with all these guys, but the Princess demanded Kira to take her to his place and show her around.. I'm afraid we may be here a while."

"It is alright, sir.." Lacus muttered, "I-I will be in the attic if you need me." With that, she ran away from Mwu, who sighed. He knew why she was upset, but there was naught he could do right then to fix anything. He just hoped the Princess had not seen Lacus and Kira's feelings for each other. If she had, then there would be trouble.. and Fllay was capable of much trouble.

Up in the safety of her attic, Lacus curled up into a ball on the straw bed. Seeing the Princess here with Kira just put everything into new perspective. If she stayed on land forever, then she may risk leaving all her happiness in the hands of the spoiled girl. Though Kira had promised to try to find a way to come back to her, she realized that there is no way he could. Their love would be one of secrecy and hidden passion. She would have to deal with the pain of being left behind and she must fake having no emotional connection with him in public, always hiding in stealth. On the other hand, in the ocean.. she could swim freely with her friends once more. She would laugh at Meyrin's antics, listen intently to Luna's stories, chat with Milly, and explore with Cagalli. She may meet a nice merman who would treat her well... but..

But.. there would be no Kira.

No Kira who could make her heart pound with a single smile. No Kira who would hold her hand. No Kira who would cry because he didn't want to fight anymore. No Kira who would embrace her with warmth and comfort. No _Kira_.. at all.

"Lacus."

The sound of her name made her turn her head slowly around. The brown-haired boy stood looking at her with wide violet eyes.

"Kira."

He smiled weakly and walked forward, "I'm sorry about earlier.. Fllay is just.. Fllay. She's always like that."

_Fllay_. _Why is he addressing her so warmly?_ Lacus felt herself go cold as Kira called the Princess by her name. Icy jealously flooded over her. "There is no need to apologize, Kira. I am fine. _You _seem fine, as well."

He blinked, then realized that she was upset. "Heyy.." he reached out a hand and touched her cheek as she lay still on the bed. "That's not nice. Why would you say that? You know how I feel, Lacus. I'll never love anyone but you."

She blushed as he comforted her. How shameful of her to blurt out those words. She just couldn't help it. It was as if there was an unspeakable force within her chest that threatened to overthrow her usual logic and forced her to say things she would usually never speak. Of course she knew Kira would be faithful. She mustn't let her emotions take control of her common sense. "I am sorry.."

"Shh.." he shushed her, "It's not your fault. I know it's hard, but trust me, I'm still thinking. Maybe I'll talk to Uncle Mwu and Mother about our problem. It'll be okay. Everything will be alright."

She nodded, eased by his words and touch, as she continued to lie still. Kira's gentle hand stroked her cheek, his kind purple eyes glued to her trusting blue ones.

Neither noticed that behind Kira, at the edge of the attic entrance, a pair of narrowed, gray eyes followed their every gesture to each other.

"We're eating supper here, Kira, sorry," Mwu told his young nephew when he came down the ladder.

"Huh? I thought we were escorting the Princess back to the Palace by this afternoon."

"She changed her mind," the blonde-haired man sighed, "That girl sure is a piece of work. She told us just a minute ago."

"But it's only just past noon! And there isn't anything interesting that Fllay might want to see," Kira protested, "Plus Lacus.."

Mwu shook his head, silencing the younger boy, "Not here. You can't let the Princess know, son. But I have already tried to change her mind about staying, to no avail. I'm afraid you must keep her occupied. Lead her away from our little siren."

"Siren? You mean Lacus?" Kira was momentarily confused.

"I heard she could sing like no earthly creature," Mwu winked, "Your mother told me. Now go." He nodded toward where Fllay was being entertained by other knights who were telling her stories of their heroic adventures.

"Fine.."

The Princess smiled brightly as Kira drew near her, and clung on his arm. They, and a few other knights, gathered at the big table in the cottage while Mwu and others poured everyone ale and wine. Lacus peeked down from the attic to see the scene below. For some strange reason, she couldn't peel her eyes off of Fllay's grasp on Kira, and the way the two looked at each other. The Princess couldn't keep her eyes off him. She kept chatting brightly and forcing him to drink a tankard of either ale or wine, Lacus couldn't tell. And Kira.. for someone who just told her that he had no feelings for the Princess, he was doing an awfully good job of pretending to like her. Lacus told herself that it must be her thinking too much, but she still felt very unhappy. Once in a while, Fllay would laugh and put her head on Kira's shoulder. Sometimes she would reach up and brush his brown hair from his eyes. At that, Lacus felt a stab of envy. She always thought she was the only one who could do that to Kira. Guess not anymore.

She was thankful when Caridad finally arrived home a while later. The violet-haired woman was astonished to find that not only had a crew of rowdy men had sabotaged her home, but also the Royal Princess was here, too. Fllay was surprisingly polite to Kira's mother, but Lacus could tell that she was only faking her sweetness. Caridad smiled at everyone, and busied herself with preparing supper, but those who knew her saw form the way she carried herself that she was not pleased with what has happened in her absence, especially with what was going on between the Princess and her son. She looked sternly at Kira, when Fllay exclaimed how great a knight her son was and how he would always protect her and love her.

Lacus was reluctant to go down to where all the commotion was, but seeing that Caridad needed help cooking such a large supper, she forced herself to climb the ladder down. The older woman looked at her with a thankful expression in her eyes as they started preparations. However, Fllay was anything but thankful that Lacus had come to help with feeding her and her men. Talking loudly about anything that had to do with her and Kira, the Princess commanded everyone's attention to herself and proceeded to explain all the "gentlemanly" things the brown-haired boy had done for her. She went into details about how he had saved her from a lecherous sailor once when she had gone with some knights to a marketplace, and how Kira would bring her cakes and pies from the local bakery because she never got to go to those places because they were "beneath her standards", etc. Lacus knew that those tales were meant as warning for her, and so she gritted her teeth and concentrated hard on what she was doing. But a bit of herself grew angered and saddened by every detail in the Princess's stories, as she knew there was no way Fllay could make up everything, especially since no one intervened.

Once the Princess had finished her tales, she told her men to do what they wanted. Leaving Caridad and Lacus to start cooking, everyone else drifted away. Some men went outside to check on their horses and talk. Mwu and a few older knights poured each other more wine and ale and headed to the beach to roam around. Even Fllay herself had disappeared with Kira.

"Are you alright, dear?" Caridad suddenly asked Lacus once everyone had dispersed.

"Huh? What do you mean, Mrs. Yamato?" the pink-haired girl was surprised that Kira's mother would ask her that question, "Of course, I am alright."

"It's just.." the older woman looked at her, "I'm not blind.. I know how you and my son feel about each other, Lacus. And I know that the Princess's interference is not helping anything."

"Oh!" Lacus felt a deep blush flush across her face, "I- Kira..we.. I- I- just-"

Caridad laughed at her response, "It's quite alright, dear!" She smiled warmly, "I'm glad he loves you. You're a good girl, Lacus. Please trust my boy. He'll pull through somehow. He always does."

"Thank you.." Lacus looked down shyly, "I will try my best, too."

However, even with her best, supper was a miserable ordeal. Lacus sat quietly with Caridad as Mwu was occupied by some of his friends and Fllay continued to torture them all with the news that her father King George was sending her on a courtesy visit to nearby Kingdom Copernicus to visit King and Queen Argyle and their son Prince Sai. She would not stop talking about every detail of the planned trip. It was to be a fortnight from the current day and she would be traveling by boat on the ocean to reach Copernicus, and so on. Lacus had practically memorized the information of the event by the end of supper. Eventually, and thankfully, the food was finished and the men got ready to leave. Mwu and Kira and left with the other men to go outside and only Fllay stayed behind to wait til they finished. Lacus suddenly became nervous when she felt the Princess's gray eyes watching her as she carried dirty dishes to Caridad and wiped the table down. She knew the other girl was going to say something nasty, and she was right.

"So, servant girl, tell me, you seem to have some feelings for my knight, don't you?" The redhead asked coolly.

"No, Princess, I do not." Lacus replied evenly.

"Ooooh, you do not, eh?" Fllay's tone was laced with sarcasm.

"No, I do not. He is your knight, after all."

"Why, yes, I'm glad you noticed that, you insolent girl," the Princess spat vehemently, "And I hope you know that it is treason for you to bewitch any of my men."

"I do not know what you are talking about, Princess." Lacus said softly, but her heart began to pound. _Could Fllay know how she and Kira felt?_

"Ha!" The other girl stood up and roughly grabbed Lacus's arm, hissing, "Don't think I'm an idiot, servant girl! Do you think I wouldn't know? You think that boy is your man. You think he'll never love me, but you'll see. Kira Yamato is mine, he serves me, he protests me, not you. I will make him love me, he won't resist. And you'll pay for even trying to believe that you had a chance!"

"W-Why are you doing this?" Lacus could feel her emotions spiraling, "He does not love you-"

BAMM!

"HOW DARE YOU?" Fllay had slapped the pink-haired girl, hard. Lacus fell to the floor in shock as the Princess stood over her, hand raised. "You have no idea who you're talking to! I should have you arrested and-"

"Fllay! What's going on?" She was cut off as Kira ran inside. His eyes widened when he say the pink-haired girl on the floor, but he could not go help her, as Fllay turned to him.

"Kira! Oh, Kira, your stupid servant girl was insulting me!"

"Huh..? What do you mean?"

"She said you couldn't possibly love me, Kira! But you do, don't you? Don't you?" Fllay whimpered, grabbing at him.

"Yeah..yes, I do l-love you, Fllay," Kira gulped, refusing to catch Lacus's eyes, "I'm sorry about her, she sometimes is very rude. Let's go and f-forget about her, alright?" He said in a shaky voice.

"Only if you say so, but I'm still upset. You have better make it up to me tonight!" the Princess looked at him seductively, and Kira visibly trembled. Fllay threw one more murderous look at Lacus and then whirled around to storm outside.

Kira sighed and turned to Lacus. "Are you alright? What did you do, Lacus?"

The pink-haired girl gasped, "What do you mean, Kira? I did not do anything! I just simply told her the truth! She said-"

"It doesn't matter what she said, Lacus!" Kira's frustrated voice cut her off, "We have to keep our feelings secret for now! Or else, we don't have a chance at all! Now, Fllay probably is on to us. Oh, this is such a mess!"

"I did not mean to-"

"You don't understand, Lacus! Thing's have been getting worse. Fllay.. she's planning on having a ceremony where she's going to bind me to her for servitude! If I make that vow, it's something I must keep, even if I don't want to!"

"What? When..?"

"When she comes back from visiting King Argyle. It's going to be soon, Lacus. I need as much time as I can to think about how to avoid this, so you can't go arguing with her!"

Lacus opened her mouth to protest when suddenly Mwu called from the front door "Kira, let's go! Everyone's waiting on you!"

The brown-haired boy shook his head, "I have to go.. Please, Lacus, don't make this worse on us. I'll try to come back soon.." And he walked away quickly to help Fllay outside, leaving Lacus, confused and shaken, to her own broken thoughts. Why, oh why, did he not realize how she felt about him and the Princess? Why could he not see her jealousy and understand her pain?

She had barely been able to shake off Fllay's violent action to her when a couple of days later, she was called by the Princess to go to Kira's training quarters. She was instantly weary when the messenger, a blonde-haired and masked individual, came to Caridad's door at nightfall and announced that Fllay had specifically requested her to come immediately. He showed them a note bearing the Royal Seal when Caridad protested that it was much too late for a young girl like Lacus to head out with a stranger The Princess must have conjured some new plan to make her pay for what she said to her. Though she was still brooding over the situation with Kira and did not want to bear Fllay's tortures, she knew she didn't have a choice. The messenger's intimidating and mysterious appearance did not help. Meekly following the messenger, she soon arrived at the knights training ground.

It was so dark that she could not see much of the field, but she made out the various wooden cabins where the men bunked and the smoldering ashes of burnt-out bonfires. There were pieces of armor and weapons lying around and Lacus was careful not to trip or fall on them. The messenger led her to a specific cabin and ushered her in, closing the door behind them.

Inside the wooden frame, the cabin was plain and simple. There was a fireplace, a table with chairs, and a few doors that probably led to bedrooms.

"Umm..where-" Lacus began to ask the messenger, but she never got to finish. The man grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her, ignoring her yell of pain. He clamped a hand over her mouth and despite her struggles, moved her toward one of the doors.

"MMMM..!" the pink-haired girl tried desperately to break free, but her captor was far too strong.

"Shut up!" the man hissed to her, "Do you think I like to do these things? I must keep you quiet, due to the Princess's bidding!"

_What? Why?_ was all that went through Lacus's head. She twisted around to look at the messenger with a confused and angered expression.

"You'll find out soon enough. Now if you're done struggling, we can move ahead." the man sighed, as if he has done this many times before, "You won't be happy though..I don't know what you did to make the Princess this mad."

Confused by his statement, Lacus quieted down a bit and the man pushed her toward an open door at the end of the hallway. Would Fllay be waiting inside to torture her? Would she warn and threaten her again?

But it was neither. It was worse.

As the messenger pushed the door open wider and forced Lacus's head inside, she could see through the darkness of the small bedroom that there was one makeshift bed and on the bed there sat a woman. But as the pink-haired girl's eyes adjusted to the dark, she couldn't believe the scene she saw. The woman.. no, the girl.. was the Princess! But what was so wrong was not the fact that Fllay was here.. it was.. The Princess was not wearing any clothing; she was completely naked. Lacus could see a dark crimson gown, it had to be Fllay's, cast aside on the ground next to a pile of other clothing. The redheaded-girl had only a thin sheet wrapped around her. _What..?_

Fllay looked up as she heard Lacus and the messenger enter. She drew her lips back into a victorious smile, gray eyes catching the pink-haired girl's shocked glance. Slowly she turned her head, lowered her face, and.. _oh, no.. was that? It couldn't be!_ If the messenger's hand hadn't been firmly cupped on Lacus's mouth, she would have screamed.

Kira lay behind Fllay, immersed in the sheets thrown on the bed that Lacus did not see him in the dark until the Princess lowered her face and slowly, enjoying every moment of torturing Lacus, kissed the brown-haired boy's lips. She drew a finger and traced down Kira's neck to his chest, all the while bearing that malicious grin.

_No..NO.. this can't be happening! Did they..? They didn't! He wouldn't have!..would he..? H-Her? He chose her over me? _

Lacus was frozen for a moment, as Fllay lifted her eyes back to the pink-haired girl's. She opened her mouth. "I win."

At that, Lacus suddenly went berserk. A shot of adrenaline rushed through her as her emotions collided. She was angry, she was sad, she was frustrated, she was hurt, she was betrayed.. she was envious. Letting out a muffled cry, she struggled hard against the man who held her. He still contained her, but was grunting from the effort and cursing softly.

Fllay laughed at that. Just laughed. Lacus could not forget that laughter, filled with contempt and mixed with victory. "Let her go, she's had her punishment. She can run home now, and be a good servant," came the Princess's judgment.

Lacus continued to fight hard, but there was no need. At Fllay's words, the masked man immediately let go of the pink-haired girl. And Lacus did run. She pushed past him, past the door, past the entrance to the cabin, and out into the night. She ran through the field, once even falling because she tripped over a piece of firewood and ripped her gown. But she did not care. All she hear was Fllay's manic laughter and all she saw was the image of Kira, lying next to the Princess's naked body. She could see them kissing, see them embracing, see them passionately touching each other. She did not know how long it took her to run and fall, and run and fall, till she finally made it to Caridad's cottage. She didn't even realize that tears were streaming from her eyes. All she knew before she collapsed in front of the doorstep was that her chest hurt so badly she couldn't breath.

To think that Fllay had been with Kira.. to know that it had been Fllay and not her.. A surge of pure envy rushed through her, mixed with sorrow and hurt.

It had been Fllay.. not her..

Not her..


	7. 6: Marcato

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Ch.6 Marcato (marked with emphasis)

Ah, sweet darkness.

The darkness was soothing. It was numb. There was nothing in the darkness that could hurt Lacus. Yet even though she was floating in unconsciousness for what seemed like forever, she still knew what had happened.

_**What did happen?**_

_The Princess has Kira. He's gone now. He does not love you. He chose her over you_.

The sudden sharp pain of knowing stabbed through her in a flash. The darkness shook; it did not feel so comforting anymore.

_**Why her? He told me to wait!**_

_Because you're not good enough. You can't be like the Princess. She is beautiful while you are simple and plain. She is flirtatious while you are meek and naive. She is strong-willed while you are weak. She can offer him everything while you can make him lose all he has. She is a human..and you are not._

_**Why can't it be me with him? I love him so much! Why can't she be the one suffering? I've been suffering all this time! Why not her?**_

The sudden thoughts that flashed through Lacus's mind finally broke through the numbness.

"Ahh.." she opened her eyes slowly to find that she was back in Caridad's place, safely in her bed. Shafts of morning sunshine streamed into the attic.

She took a deep breath and stood up. She had to explain to Kira's mother what happened last night. Caridad must be wondering what made her faint at the front steps of the cottage. She did not even know how to explain, but knew she must.

Yet when she was just about to climb down the ladder, she heard Caridad talking loudly with another person. Inching closer to listen, Lacus realized that the other person was Mwu, and they were talking.. about_ him_.. and the Princess, and herself.

"I can't believe my son could have it in him to do that."

"You can't really blame the boy, Caridad. I know how that girl is like. She probably engineered the whole thing."

"But he can't take it back, Mwu! He's bound to her now! He must take responsibility for his actions! It's only a matter of time before the King hears about this!"

"Only if the Princess wants him to. It's a mess. I only heard about it this morning from the other fellows' gossip. The boy's only a common lad, there's nothing he can offer the King. I doubt King George would let them marry."

"I cannot believe this..Even if she is willing to keep this a secret, it's still impossible! Will Kira be punished? And what about Lacus? The poor girl is already heartbroken! I found her outside the house the day that devil girl called her in! She must have told her what she and that idiotic son of mine did!"

Mwu sighed, "We can't worry about that now. It's Kira's problem we have to take care of. Then, we can figure out what they are both thinking. Lacus's situation will have to wait."

_Is that all I am now? _Lacus thought, her body growing cold,_ Just someone who must wait, someone who can only wait. Wait and suffer. Wait and watch while the person I love is "loving" someone else. It is I who deserve to be with him. I would give up everything for him! I would give up being who I used to be, give up all that I was used to and all I knew to be with him. And she took that away! The Princess took it all away!_

A rush of pain and jealousy coursed through her chest. She gasped and clutched at herself.

_Is this the way I am going to feel for the rest of my life? _She wondered, gritting her teeth.

No. No! She won't allow it. It is about time she take control of her own destiny. She can't just sit around, always innocent to why things happen. Fllay had purposely tortured her for no reason. The Princess had pulled Kira away from her, seduced him, and now is attempting to keep him away. There had to be some way to stop her. And Lacus must do it. It is be the only way she might have happiness.

But what? What can possibly stop someone who cannot be touched?

Down in the main room, Caridad and Mwu's conversation continued, as Lacus listened carefully with a pounding heart.

"So I assume my son is to accompany the Princess on her upcoming trip in what, seven days?" she heard Kira's mother ask, with a bitter edge in her usual gentle voice.

"Actually, I don't think so," came Mwu's reply, "The girl's not stupid. If she doesn't want King George to get into a fit and punish Kira for their actions, then she'll keep quiet for now. Let her father think the knights are just stirring up rumors. As long as she denies their words, then it will be alright."

"We must pray that all we'll end well.." Caridad sighed sadly, "I must go visit my son soon."

"Don't be too hard on him," Mwu chided her, "We don't know his side of this mess."

_A mess.. _Lacus thought miserably. _If I was smart, I would just go back to the ocean.. But.. I just cannot.. If there is even a chance that Kira and I could be together, I would take it. What shall I do?_

_Kira is bound to her now, and as long as she is around we will suffer.. __**As long as she is here**__._

Suddenly, Fllay's own words from days before flashed through Lacus's head.

"Daddy's sending me on a grand adventure! We're to visit King and Queen Argyle in Copernicus! As you all know well, it is a rich and entertaining kingdom just on the other side of the Northeastern Strait. Though it will be quite irritating to have to take a ship there, I suppose I must suffer it."

A sea trip.

In the ocean.

And Kira won't be on board.

Lacus's insides went cold and numb as she realized what she was thinking of doing. Slowly, as if in a trance, she made her way to her straw bed. Reaching deep into the crackling straw, she grasped the bottle that she knew lay hidden.

The blue potion in the sea glass container sloshed and swirled when she pulled it out. Murrue had said it could change her legs back into her tail for a short while.

A short period of time.. _Just long enough to use her siren song to enchant the sailors of Fllay's ship._ If she could lead the ship headlong into the rocky coast, then they would crash and be thrown into the sea.. and that would be the end of the Princess.. right? There would not be any more problems.. _right_?

She gripped the little bottle tightly. She knew what she was thinking of doing was horrible, sinful. Yet a nauseating feeling inside of her told her that if she did not do this, nothing will go right. All was fair in love and war. They say some of the worst things people have done had been in the name of love. After all, love is a battlefield, and Fllay had already attacked. Shouldn't it be right for her to retaliate?

She waited until Kira's uncle had left before coming down the ladder shyly and greeting Caridad. The kind lady look worriedly at her, but thankfully did not ask about what happened the night before. Lacus found that she could not bring herself to talk about it, and therefore kept quiet. Caridad knew anyways, from her brother. The two worked quietly together, enjoying the silent peacefulness and chatted very slightly about anything but Kira and Fllay. And Lacus thought that might be the end of it. Perhaps Caridad and Mwu would not bring up the subject in front of her. They were more worried about the Princess and Kira than her troubles. Caridad set out in the afternoon to visit and chide her son in the knights' barracks, and Lacus was once again left to deal with her decision to deal with Fllay. Endless doubts and worries plagued her mind, but she was at a lost for what to do except to try to fix the problem in the only way she knew she would win. Yet there was a part of her that fervently opposed the hateful thoughts that ran through her head. Did she really want to do this? Sighing, she shook her head wildly for a moment, trying to clear her thoughts. She still had a couple of days to decide. Perhaps something will happen that will cement or disintegrate her decision..

When Kira's mother returned that evening, the pink-haired girl seemed like her usual self. But Caridad was not. She appeared jumpy and did not mention any details about her visit to the barracks, avoiding the pink-haired girl's glances. Lacus could not help but think something had happened with Kira. Maybe the Princess had told the King?

"Umm.. Mrs. Yamato?" she asked hesitantly, finally breaking an unusual awkward silence.

"Y-Yes, dear?"

"Is Kira alright? I mean, since he and the Princess were _together_."

"Why, yes, of course he's alright!" Caridad replied way too fast, then caught herself. Sighing deeply, she spoke again, this time in her usual calm tone, "He's a bit shaken since he didn't realize the magnitude of what had happened. But Mwu has heard nothing in the Palace but rumors, so it seems the Princess has not told King George anything yet. Kira is very upset, but he wouldn't really talk to me. He just wants me not to worry, but this whole situation could be blown way out of proportions. It isn't about just feelings anymore, but duty and responsibility," the violet-haired lady looked sadly at Lacus.

The pink-haired girl nodded quietly. She understood what Caridad was trying to tell her. Because of Kira's actions, even if he was perhaps forced into sleeping with Fllay, he must be by the Princess's side now and forever. It was a man's duty in the kingdom to treasure that special bond with the woman of his choosing, and since Kira had somehow ended up with Fllay.. and to make it worse, she was royalty. Thus, if the Princess chose not to tell her father, Kira's own honor can only be preserved if he stood by her. No other girl will take him now, and tradition will not allow him to do anything otherwise.

Yet Lacus refused to accept that. What if this was all Fllay's plot? To take Kira away from her and bind him to herself. Then this was not fair, and she will not play by the rules.

She will be the exception.

Caridad continued to visit her son and Mwu numerous times over the following days. She did not ask Lacus to go with her, as usual, but as each day passed, the pink-haired girl began to wonder if she should go talk to Kira herself. The last time she had seen the boy she loved was when he was in the arms of her arch-rival. Lacus wanted to confront the boy and ask him what had happened, what his point of view was. ..She also wanted to see him one more time before she will commit her sin.

However, there was no way she could go during the day. She had no knowing of when Caridad would be home, and she did not want to explain herself if she was caught. She had to sneak out; it was the only way.

The night before the afternoon when the Princess would set sail into the sea, Lacus slipped silently from the still cottage, wearing Caridad's dark hooded cloak. She knew the path to the knights' training ground; she had watched Fllay's masked messenger when he had led the way last time. After walking for a while, she could make out the many cabins and familiar bits of equipment and smoldering bonfires. That was not the issue. The problem was finding Kira, for she did not know where he ate and slept. She had no choice but to make herself known and ask someone.

It was very dark when she finally reached the cabins, but not nearly as dark as when Fllay had summoned her. A few young men were walking around the camp, chatting with each other, ready to hang up their armor and rest. When she walked in, many of them stared long and hard at her, and she could feel their eyes on her back. Clutching Caridad's cloak tightly, she marched on, searching for a friendly face and seeing none. She had no idea how deep into the situated cabins she would have wandered, if a yell behind her had not stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey, who are you? What are you doing here?" A fierce voice shouted loudly behind her. She whipped around to face a silver-haired boy with sharp, cold eyes.

"O-Oh!"

"Well?" He looked very impatient at her startled pause.

"I-I am looking for Kira Yamato? Umm.. can you tell me where-"

"Yamato_ again_?" The agitated boy rolled his eyes, putting a hand to his head, "Damn him. All these women asking for him and disturbing camp.. Well, he's over in that one." He pointed out a cabin to Lacus.

"Thank you." She told him sincerely.

"Hmph." He gave her a nod and then turned to walk away, shouting something at the other men who had been watching them talk.

She made her way to the wooden structure he pointed out, taking deep breathes. This is what she had wanted. To talk to Kira before anything happened. She wanted to know if she could still have hope.

She pushed open the front door to the cabin, poking her head in. No one was in the big room. She took a few steps in. A couple of empty bowls sat on a table in the middle of the place, but that was it.

Maybe he was resting in his room. The pink-haired girl made her way to what she saw was two doors to two smaller rooms. Which one was Kira's? She was pondering which door to knock when she saw that one of the two doors was ajar. Walking forward to peer through that crack, she saw that it was indeed the brown-haired boy. He was not alone, though. A green-haired boy was with him, and the two were talking very quietly but seriously to each other. She strained to hear what they were talking about, not knowing if she should intrude.

"..So what should I do, Nicol?" Kira was asking, looking miserable, "I don't love her." _Love __**who**__? Her or Fllay?_

"You should tell her, Kira. At least you know you wouldn't be punished. Even if she will hate you, you must be honest with your feelings," his friend said to him.

"But I promised to wait, though. It's my fault that it happened like that." Lacus's heart sank. Wouldn't be punished? To wait? He had told her to wait. She could not punish him. It was her they were talking about. She had always hoped that she could trust Kira.. why? Why this? What did she do to deserve this?

Nicol shook his head, "Kira, what did you think when she came to you? You took so long that night that I had to come look for you."

The night in the woods.. The night when Kira had confessed that he loved her..

"I knew I couldn't say anything that would hurt her. I just couldn't do it, so I just said some stuff that I didn't mean. I felt horrible inside, but I don't think she realized my true feelings. I think she thought I really did love her."

Lacus swallowed hard. So it had been her all along after all. Her dreaming up a perfect fantasy. Kira had been lying all this time. Why did she not doubt him? That look in his eyes when he gazed at her.. he must have not been thinking about her at all!

"Then you're sure what you're feeling for the new girl is different? That it is love?"

The new girl.. Fllay..

She saw Kira nod his brown head fervently. "I do love her. She was so strong when I met her, so full of life and strength. I was done for when she set her eyes on me."

So that was why he loved the Princess.. her boldness and vigor. Lacus's innocent meekness could not compare.

"Then you know I'm right, Kira," Nicol said, "Do it. Let her know soon."

"Yea.. Then it can all be over."

And she left when he spoke those last six words. Kira did not see the tears that ran down her cheeks behind her hood. He did not see that he had broken her beyond repair. That because of his words, not only her life would change, but his as well.

Lacus did not feel anything anymore. There was no more compassion left in her. She felt no love, no sympathy, no sadness, and not even hurt. If this was how it was going to be, then she knew what to do. There was no use to return to the ocean. She would only live in despair and jealousy at Fllay and Kira's perfect life on shore. Since he had betrayed her, since she had stole him.. she had to do it. The Princess's ship would go down the next day, because Lacus had nothing to lose.

The hours that passed afterward from her decision to the minute of the Princess's voyage seemed like a hazy yet anxious blur to Lacus. She went to bed the night before in a dull and trance-like state, the bottle of potion clutched in a grip so tight she almost broke the glass. She did not dream, she did not even get much rest. She merely floated in darkness.

The next morning's dawn woke her early. She acted as she would on any other day, trying to mask her dark emotions. Caridad did not notice at all, for the older woman seem distracted as well. Lacus didn't care. She was entirely focused on her mission at hand. She would wait til Fllay's ship had set sail and then leave to change back to her original form. She would swim faster than the boat could sail and then as night fell, she would startle the sailors with her song. Any hard cliff along the rocky edge of the strait would do for sinking the boat, so it wouldn't be hard. It would be fast.. and simple.

The anxious minutes ticked by slowly. Lacus paced about the cottage, teeth gritted tightly. A headache was starting to throb inside her skull, but she ignored the slight pain. It was almost time for the reckoning.

Mwu had told Caridad when the Princess's ship would set sail in the late afternoon, so Lacus knew as well. When the time came, Kira's mother surprised Lacus by telling her that they would have supper earlier, for she would go with Mwu and a couple of other men to see it off. The pink-haired girl wondered why Caridad would care to do that, but she did not ask. It was even better for her if Caridad was not there. She could just leave and Kira's mother would not even know what she was doing. She would just think that Lacus had retired earlier to the attic.

After Caridad had just bid her farewell, the pink-haired girl readied herself. Potion in hand, she started to make her way to the coast. Fllay's ship would be in the harbor, but the beach where Lacus was going was even closer to the Princess's destination. It would give her a head start, but Lacus didn't even need it.

When she reached the sandy beach, she knew there would be no going back. Murrue had given her the potion for an emergency, and in Lacus's mind, this was one. She realized that the sky was growing cloudy and in the distance, what appeared to be storm clouds were making their way closer. The humans did not realize this was a bad day to set sail. But it would benefit Lacus even more. She realized that now they wouldn't even blame her if the boat really did sank. Mortals had a way of finding a reason for anything, using coincidence as an excuse. She waded into the waves until the water hit her thighs. Shrugging off her gown, she watched it for a moment drifting off into the endless waves. Uncorking the bottle, she tilted her head back, getting a sense of deja vu from when she first came onto land. The blue liquid slid down her throat, bring cold fire into her body. She couldn't help but let out a scream again as what felt like an invisible knife stabbed her all over. This time, however, she could not afford to fall and cringe in pain. Holding on to some strength deep inside of her, Lacus somehow managed to control herself as she felt her legs crumple under her. They fused together in a sudden shearing of blinding pain and in a blink of an eye, she realized her blue-scaled tail was back. A flash of relief and joy flooded through her body. She can now control the situation. A determined look formed onto her face, and though she still was in some pain, she gritted her teeth and dove straight into the roaring sea.

The blue world she had once been a part of welcomed her back in a blast of cool water and foaming bubbles. The currents swirled around her and she felt a sense of belonging. Twisting her tail agilely she streamed through the water like a razor, heading toward where she knew the ship would be sailing. The late afternoon sun can be seen glowing faintly behind the gathering clouds, and underneath the churning waters, Lacus knew she was right on time. She was so ahead of Fllay's ship that she will have plenty of time to decide her next moves. In her domain, she will be the winner. She was a true child of the sea. Bursting out of the water in a spray of droplets, she saw that she was in the perfect place to execute her plan. Two sides of coast with sharp, jagged dark rocks flanked the strait. The water was restless, too. Though it was no problem for Lacus underneath the surface, the water at the top behaved like it had a mind of its own. Huge, forceful waves, fueled by the unrelenting wind, crashed down on each other, all in different directions. This part of the pass was narrower and much more precarious than the broader, more open waters of the harbor and neighboring parts of the strait. The Princess's sailors would not realize the danger until the boat was within her reach. She pulled herself up onto a smaller rock that sat just a bit off of the larger boulders. The wild waves crashed around her, but to her surprise, she felt no emotion at all. No excitement, no anxiety, no fear. There was just the need to get this over with. And so she began to wait.

The ship sailed slowly into view just as the dull orange orb that was the sun hidden by dark clouds fell into the sea. From her position, Lacus could see that there were many hands on deck. The wind was blowing hard, pulling the sails on the boat taunt. Spray from the ocean fell like rain onto the ship's deck and the whole thing itself was rocking quite violently as it moved toward her. The atmosphere was bleak and the blue-scaled mermaid could feel the mens' anxiety. She felt a twinge of sympathy for those sailors. It was not their fault they may meet their end today. It was just their misfortune to serve an unworthy princess who had stolen what this siren treasured most. But what must happen will be done. Lacus readied herself on her perch. They were almost within reach. Almost.. just a few more feet.. Her blue eyes glinted with cold impatience and a sense of overwhelming power. Just a few more.. There! They were finally close enough.

She straightened herself up high on her rock and began to sing. Her siren song was far different from the quiet ballads that had charmed Kira. This song was even more inviting and hypnotic. Its hauntingly melody held both beauty and demise. As her resonating notes rang loudly through the harsh wind and crashing waves, Lacus felt the emotions of the men on board Fllay's ship change. One by one, their nervousness and alertness fell away. Each were loosened and enchanted by the sound of her voice. It was like they were all becoming drunk with not liquor but the song. Busy hands stopped their work, feet stopped their walks. The men turned one by one to look for the singer, and the pink-haired mermaid knew that the glazed look in their eyes meant they were under her control for now. And with her control came the destruction of the ship. Without the men's efforts to tame it, the boat swayed precariously in the waves. It was pushed by the sea closer and closer to the cliffs where Lacus had situated herself. Closer and closer.. Yet in spite of the storm raging all around them, the men's minds were clouded with an imaginary peace. The siren kept singing, her voice loud and angry but beautiful in the wind. Lacus kept her eyes on the ship, watching it draw near. Suddenly, a flash of fire was seen. A head of red hair suddenly ran among the men. It was a frightened girl, screaming at the top of her lungs for the men to wake up. Her brightly-colored hair was whipping all around her face, her gray eyes held not menace but pure and utter fear. It was the Princess. As she turned, panicked, to glance frantically around herself, she unknowingly looked straight into Lacus's eyes.

Time stood still for an eerie moment as the siren and the girl gazed at each other, one aware and one not so. It was in that instant that Lacus realized that it was not the Princess she was looking at, but just a girl. Just Fllay. _Who had that same look of fright and doom that she had had when she realized that her punishment was to be banished from her world. _It was a horrible emotion, as if one was just sentenced to death.. No one should have to feel that way..

_Wait, what am I thinking? _Lacus shook her head slightly, _I have almost won.. Just a few more minutes.. A few more minutes!_

But..

Does anyone deserve to die like this? To drown in the dark, dark sea, feeling so afraid and terrified? No matter how foolish and selfish, does anyone deserve this?

Her voice faltered, and her song weakened. She felt the men slip from her grasp slightly, and she panicked. This can't happen! What was wrong with her? Could it be that she felt sympathy for Fllay?

She watched as the frantic girl ran across the desk, pleading and desperately peering into each man's face. She.. was looking for someone.

_No.._

Lacus's heart was caught in her throat as she saw the young man who Fllay had finally found turn to look out into the roaring sea, right at her.

It was Kira.

But how? He was supposed to be safe and sound in Heliopolis with Mwu and the knights! He wasn't supposed to be here at all!

Yet he was. His brown hair was ruffled fiercely by the gusts, and his jaw was tight, face contorted with a mix of fear and adrenaline. But his eyes were so clear. Their violet irises stared straight through her, piercing her deep down to her heart. H-How..? If he had been there the whole time.. shouldn't he also be under her spell? But this was not the time to wonder about that. The situation was grim. The ship was so close to her now; they would crash in minutes

Terror surged through Lacus. And with Kira on board! Without thinking twice, Lacus cut her song short. She felt immediately the control of the men gone from herself. She felt them wake from their trance, blinking and shaking their heads, then realizing their predicament. The ship was within a few feet of the dangerous rocks. The dark twilight was not helping, either. The men began to shout to each other, both in fear and in encouragement. The boat began to sway away from the cliffs. But not fast enough. Huge waves swirled in from the opposite side to push the ship forcefully back toward the cliffs. Lacus's eyes grew wide as she realized what was to happen next.

An earsplitting ripping noise surged through the air, cutting through the howling wind and roaring sea. The side of the boat rammed into a sharp boulder, the force of it throwing off some sailors. They landed, screaming, into the waters below. The horrific scene filled Lacus's stunned eyes, yet in her mind there remained only one thought, _Where was Kira?_

She looked wildly around, searching for his brown head. Relief flooded through her as she suddenly spotted him, struggling and swimming with a few other men to the shore, where the jagged rocks met the sea. She looked back to the ship, which had been trusted back into the strait. A flash of red caught her eye. Was that..?

Fllay hung vulnerably onto a piece of the stern that had been broken when the ship had been crushed against the stone. Her dress was ripped and she was shrieking shrilly, her legs swinging as she struggled to hang on. Her gray eyes held both fright and pain.. the same look mirrored in Lacus's own blue ones when the already wounded stern completely broke off the boat and the red-haired princess fell, right into the roaring waves below.


	8. 7: Grave

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Ch.7 Grave (solemn)

It was if time stood still.

Lacus still heard the howling of the wind and crash of the waves, but the sounds had become blurred and dull, as if a curtain of gray had been shrouded over her surroundings. The only thing she could see clearly was the red-haired girl.

Fllay fell like a limp doll, her arms and legs outstretched as her face screamed terror and shock. The Princess hit the water with a splash, but the waves were crashing so hard that it was hardly noticeable. The rolling water swirled around the girl for a second before it pulled her down mercilessly beneath the raging surface, ignoring her struggles and shouts.

Before the flash of red hair was completely gone from sight, Lacus was already propelling herself toward Fllay. She did not know what prompted her actions, nor any reasoning behind them, but her body just moved on its own. Her tail was strong and she knew the sea. No matter how violent the ocean became, Lacus was still a part of it. She felt the many currents push against her forcefully, but ignored them, maneuvering swiftly to where she saw the Princess had been dragged. As she approached, she could see Fllay better. The girl was pathetically swinging her arms and legs, desperate to push herself up to the surface. Yet she had no idea which direction the surface was. When she had been forced underneath, she had lost all sense of direction and she couldn't see clearly in the ferocious, blinding water. Bubbles flew from her mouth as she realized in desperation that it was a lost cause. She couldn't swing her arms anymore; her strength was fading fast as her air supply was cut. She couldn't even scream, for water would rush into her mouth. Her eyes began to close. The looming darkness of death was fast approaching when the pink-haired mermaid finally reached her.

As she reached forward to grab hold of the unconscious girl, a nasty thought shot through Lacus's mind. _This could be it, you know. If you let go right now, then all your problems would be over. Was this not what you wanted to begin with?_

But was it still what she wanted? When she had seen that look on Fllay's face.. _I don't want this anymore! _She thought desperately,_ No, I don't want it anymore! I just cannot.. do this right now.. Not with Kira here, not with that look on her face.._

Strands of the Princess's floating red hair blew across her eyes and broke her from her thoughts. Knowing that humans can't hold their breath very long, Lacus knew she had to get the girl to shore fast. Gritting her teeth, she swam upwards, holding on to Fllay's arms and pulling her along. It was difficult to press against the currents, but Lacus managed to somehow get both herself and the unconscious princess to the rocky shore. Breathing heavily, she glanced around quickly. In the distance, the exhausted sailors of Fllay's wrecked ship were starting to regroup and their anxious shouts could be heard. They would rescue their princess soon once they look over and see her familiar figure and bright hair.

She should go now..

The pink-haired mermaid turned, still half-immersed in water. But just as she was about to dive into the watery turmoil, a shout sounded that made her blood run cold.

"Hey, WAIT! STOP!" Kira's familiar gentle voice was now laced with anger and vehemence. He had run to where the two girls lay among the rocks and sandy gravel washed with seawater. The clothes the brown-haired boy had on were ripped and torn. Though he was soaking wet and looked a mess, his violet eyes burned with the flames of betrayal as he looked her up and down, taking in her true form. She quivered as those vengeful eyes suddenly caught her sad blue ones. But they didn't stay there long. As soon as he reached them, Kira made a beeline for Fllay. Lacus watched, emotionless, as he checked to make sure the princess would be alright. She watched, quietly, as he raised his head to face her again.

"What are you, Lacus?"

She didn't know how she managed to speak, but she heard her own voice answer, surprisingly calm, "I am a mermaid, Kira Yamato. A siren.."

He sucked in his breathe sharply, whispering to himself, "So the stories are true.." To her, he kept his fury, "So all this time.. What do you want from us? Why are you here?.. No, why did you do THIS?" He yelled, gesturing toward the shipwreck, "_I saw you_! You were singing a song and everyone just went blank! What did you do?"

_What? Was it possible her siren song hadn't been able to entrance him, too? But.. how could he alone be immune?_

"I-I.." She felt the frozen shock that was written on her face.

"Did you want to.. kill us all?" His tone was cold and hard.

At those words, a sudden rush of panic flowed through her. He can't misunderstand her feelings! She had to explain to him her story. "Kira, it is not like that! I did it because.. _because I love you_!"

His eyes went wide, some bit of anger turning into shock.

"I did it all because I thought it would solve our problems! Because I love you too much!" Tears ran in streams down her cheeks, but she didn't care anymore, "It is true that I am not like you, I am not human! But I can feel, I have emotions! After you saved me, after meeting you.. I thought we could be together! And then, the Princess.."

But Kira was shaking his head slowly, "You never told me.. Everyone thought you were human.. You're a mermaid.. A _mermaid_.." He looked down at Fllay, then raised his eyes to Lacus, suddenly realizing, "You.. weren't trying to kill us.. You wanted to kill Fllay! You knew she was going on this voyage, and you wanted to get rid of her!"

_No!_

"K-Kira!" She desperately tried to reach out to touch his arm, but he scrambled away from her hand as if she was poison. "_I am still me_, Kira.."

"You would do that..You would kill someone.." He said in a whisper, staring in shock at her, "I don't know you anymore.."

"You don't understand, Kira! I did, but when I saw you and when I saw her, I could not do it! I pulled her out, I stopped my song!"

"You wanted revenge just because you were jealous?" His surprise had turned into anger, "I told you to wait for me! Why couldn't you do that? Why couldn't you trust me? I could forgive the fact that you couldn't tell me what you are, but trying to kill Fllay? How can I believe another word you say? In fact, I don't even know the kind of '_person'_ you are!"

Lacus choked down a sob, confused and angry at the boy's words, "I _was_ waiting for you! I would give up everything to wait for you! But you told your friend you wanted to be with the Princess, not me! I was meaningless to you, you did not want me anymore! How was I supposed to feel?"

Kira blinked, "What? I never wanted the Princess! I was talking to Nicol about you, Lacus, not Fllay! Why did you assume that I wouldn't want you? Why didn't you ask me?"

"I.. I was so sure..But.. you were sleeping with her! I saw you and her together in bed!"

"What are you talking ab-"

"Yamato?" Several sailors had spotted them and were running over. Lacus saw too late that they had seen her as well. Eyes wide with surprise at her figure, the men were shouting among themselves.

"What _is _that?"

"Holy mother.. That's a _mermaid_, chaps! She's probably the one who forced us to crash! Yall know what they say about the sirens' traps!"

"Get her!"

Gasping, Lacus scrambled to reach deeper water. She had just dove into the tide when a few of the men were upon her. She could still get away, though, their legs were nothing in the roaring sea compared to her tail. As she struggled to swim away, she realized with a start and a rush of cold terror that her tail was not working right. She had stayed way too long arguing with Kira when she should have been getting away. Who knew how long Murrue's potion was supposed to last? Could it be that.. its effects were over?.._ Oh, no.._

A pain so powerful that it caused her to shriek out underwater shot through her tail. She couldn't feel it anymore. The men who had followed her into the foam and waves were grasping at her, diving to find her. The pain continued to pound through her body. The water that should have felt like a refuge now began to feel like a prison. She realized with cold horror that she could no longer breath. Every gulp of water that rushed into her mouth threatened to drown her and she was still immobile. The sailors finally reached her. Their rough fingers latched onto her arms and torso and with thundering shouts above, she felt herself being pulled relentlessly out of the sea. Lacus saw that her blue-scaled tail had vanished and in their place was her legs. She raised her eyes to find the glittering stares of the many men who surrounded her.

"What is this?"

"Thought you chaps said she was a mermaid!"

"She is! She was! I swear on me life!"

"That thing is naught but a source of evil!"

"A witch, she must be a witch!"

Their mouths flapped open and shut vigorously and they were all yelling and shouting at each other. But Lacus could hear nothing but the crashing of the waves around them. The aftereffects of the potion was blindingly painful. Something heavy -was it a net?- was thrown over her. It landed, harshly, onto her body, but it only hurt dully. There was movement all around her and arms grabbing and tugging at her, but all she could feel was despair and an ever-growing coldness.

The silent siren stared straight ahead, pulled by men she could no longer see. They were just a blurry mess of shape and form. Yet suddenly, out of the fuzzy crowd, a flash of purple ran across her vision. Kira was still seated calmly with Fllay nearby, but his face told a different story. Anger still distorted his features but his eyes also held worry and anxiety; he looked like one who wished to protest and fight with all their heart but knew it would be no use. Those violet eyes begged her to come back. To go back to a time where it was just the two of them and they could talk and understand each other again.

But what was the use?

As Lacus felt herself being dragged away by the shouting men, only one thought crossed her mind.

_This is the end._


	9. 8: Appassionato

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: I'm sorry for updating so late, but university has been keeping me horribly busy. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Here's the next chapter :)

Ch. 8: Appassionato (passionately)

_Kira's widened eyes had looked both shocked and frustrated when the disheveled sailors had dragged her up the shore and away from him. Her heart wanted to skip a beat at the sight of his uncontrollable concern for her, her hands wanted to reach out to him, her body yearned to pull itself next to his, but.._

The heavy, wooden bars to the underground cell that she was locked up in vanquished any thoughts of things going back to the way they used to be. She sat silently on the cold, hard floor that was littered with clumps of straw and rocks, anticipating what will become of her. The men who had caught her had dragged her inland, guarded by a few sailors, while most of them adventured toward where their Princess's destination was supposed to be, Copernicus. She had struggled to remain conscious throughout the ordeal but by then, already riddled with pain and a sense of utter doom, she allowed herself to submit to the darkness that seemed ever more inviting. When she woke, she had already been thrown in the cell, clothed in a ripped and worn linen makeshift dress, with her wrists and ankles bound tightly behind her.

_They must really believe that I am a danger_, Lacus thought impassively, glancing around the cell. It had a muggy brick floor and rickety wooden roof, lined with thick bars on all four sides. Situated in a dark and dank hallway, the cell that held her was one among the many others built to hold whoever was unfortunate enough to find themselves there. But there was no one else in any of the other cells near her, and thus the pink-haired girl concluded, emotionless as it dawned on her, that perhaps whoever decided to put her there thought that even prisoners deserved better than to be in the same place as her. The feeling of gloom and decay in the place, coupled with the fact that she had no idea where she was, could easily make anyone else feel distraught and pitiful, but to Lacus it was only insult on injury. Kira still did not understand why she had done what she did. He thought her actions were all pure evil, as if she had wanted kill Fllay all without a thought. That simply wasn't true. Sure, she knew she committed a sin by attempting to take a life, but she had struggled for as long as she had known about the Princess to somehow solve the strife between them in a better way, but then the redhead's senseless tactics and schemes had bested both Kira and Lacus herself. There was so much questions she wanted to ask Kira, so much she needed to get straight, but it seems now that there's no way out. She is the one who is being pronounced as a creature of evil while Fllay is the victim. Besides, there's simply no way the humans could possibly let her go to begin with.

She shivered, bringing her knees to her chin as she wrapped her arms around her legs, which she now looked at with regret. If only she just went back to the ocean when Murrue told her the options.. Who knows what the mortals are going to do to her? Torture perhaps, if Princess Fllay wished it, but then what? Will they kill her for who she is? Why was she even here in the first place?

A single tear slid down Lacus's cheek at that last thought.

_Because I love Kira. Because I made a mistake. Because there was a misunderstanding.. Because there was a lack of trust.._

The day went by slowly, and not a single person appeared, with the prospect of what would become of her still a mystery. Lacus's numb arms and feet were becoming unbearably uncomfortable. When the last bit of daylight faded from the already dark cell, three guards came to check on her. Their taunts echoes through the hall as they unlocked the creaky bar door and crowded inside, beady eyes all on her.

"So, little mermaid, why don't ya sing us a song, eh? Hahaha.."

"Not so perky, are we? Like a fish outta water! Wait till ye find out whatsa gonna happen to ya!"

"The king'n'queen's not so happy with ya, little gal. Pity, you're a cute lil thing."

Lacus scooted way from him quickly, flinching when one of the men reached out with his lance to poke her leg.

"Hmph.. not a tail anymore, eh.."

She squirmed under their gazes and felt the hard bars grind into her back.

"Mute, are we? Ye weren't so quiet out in the sea." One of the men stepped forward threateningly, with a smug and vicious grin on his scarred face, "Trying to kill people! Good riddance."

Lacus swallowed hard, wedged against the hard bars, anticipating if the man would hit her. The atmosphere screamed dire.

But one of the other guards reached out to grab the man's shoulder, "Careful there. Don't get too close. You know she's dangerous. Let us go."

The former thought about his companion's words, jerked his head reluctantly into a nod, and moved back to join the other two guards as they proceeded to lock the cell and disappear to the entrance that Lacus could not see.

Only did their footsteps gradually faded away did the pink-haired girl allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief. But mixed with her momentary peace was the knowledge that the people who now held her captive did not see her as a person, but a vile creature or even a witch.

_Am I to be martyr for love? _She thought desperately, knowing that her fate was sealed. Deep down inside, she knew that she was going to die. And she would have been okay with it all if Kira still loved her. But not being able to see him just one more time.. not being able to straighten out all their conflicts before her life ended.. that thought was too much for Lacus to handle. She hadn't wanted to cry throughout the whole situation with the humans, but now the tears that she had not shed for anything else began to flow down her cheeks.

_No, I can't give up. If I am to die, I may as well die trying to get out of here so I can see Kira one more time. One more chance to make things right._

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tight, willing the tears to stop. She is a mermaid, and one of the most important virtues her people had taught her was to never stop trying. Her friends would be so ashamed of her if she didn't at least try to get out of here.

Lacus looked around slowly, her eyes tracing every crevice and every bar of the cell. There had to be some way to attempt an escape. This place was old and falling apart, so there must be something...

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of the rocks littering the cell floor. Scooting herself over to them, she attempted to find a piece sharp enough to perhaps use to break free of her bonds. The stones were mostly rounded, but she managed to grasp one that had a small, jagged point. Her hands were tied behind her, but Lacus managed to rub the rock's edge onto the ropes on her wrist. They didn't even fray. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration, but continued to jab at the bounds. Her hands were weak, as they were twisted behind her, but somehow she gritted her teeth and rubbed harder and harder, ignoring the numerous bloody cuts that she made on herself by striking at her wrists. A piece of the rope started to come apart, fraying slightly, and that gave Lacus hope.

_Just a bit more! Just a little bit more.. _She thought as she dug the rock in. The fragmented part now looked quite vulnerable. Lacus put the rock down, exhausted. Once she caught her breath, she pulled at the bounds with all the strength she could muster. And then.. SNAP! A part of the rope binding one hand fell away. The pink-haired girl sighed with relief. She pulled her hand out roughly, and freed the other. Grasping the rock again, she hacked away at the binds on her ankles, ripping them apart with energy that only pure urgency could bring. The pound of her heartbeat screamed louder than the sounds of pain that she couldn't control when the rock struck her own feet. Finally, she could move freely!

Lacus grabbed the nearest wooden bar to her and slowly, excruciatingly, pulled herself up to lean against her prison. Drops of her blood splattered onto the floor, but she didn't care. She needed a way to get out of the wooden cell, but all four sides of it was lined with bars that she could not slip through or break. A rising panic filled her as she rushed to each side and tried to find a weaken bar, but failed.

What was the point of breaking out of the ropes if she could not get out of the cell?

The tears threatened to roll down again, and she could not help it. One by one, they fell again, mingling with her blood on the dank floor. She felt herself slip down to the ground, long pink hair over her face, as she realized the inevitable. There was no way out.

She stared up into the ceiling miserably, her back against a bar. Wait a second.. the ceiling? She stared harder. Though the wooden slabs that lined the cell's top was just as uniformed as the ones on each four sides, the spaces between them were significantly bigger. Perhaps just big enough for a small girl like her to fit through if she could get up there! Now.. how to get up there.

Impulsively she looked down at the knee length cloth that was her dress. Grasping a hand full of the fabric she ripped two circles off of the end, leaving it ripped at her thighs. Lacus took the rock from before, tied it tight around one end of the cloth and then threw it high above her head. Miraculously, it got caught at the corner of the cell, lodged between two slabs of wood.

A few minutes later, she had hauled herself heavily up to the top and squeezed through the opening. Now, dangling precariously over the side of the cell, she prepared to climb down. The cloth that held her was still seemed strong and so she threw it over the side and let it carry her weight as she slide down slowly. Lacus was halfway down when suddenly, she felt something snap. Before she could think twice, she had slammed hard into the floor with a scream cut short by pain that rushed through her head and entire body.

It was too much.. She had already been weak, starved, and humiliated. Now, the dizzying bits of darkness started appearing in her vision as the pink-haired mermaid struggled to keep her eyes open. The ringing in her ears made it impossible to think straight, but she thought she heard some sound outside the hall of cells, coming closer.

She was so close! If only she could just pick herself up and run out.. If only the dark spots in her eyes would just stop flashing and getting bigger.. She can't be caught _now_! The colors of the surroundings were blurring together now, merging into a sea of mud. But then..

"LACUS!"

She felt herself being lifted easily from the cold ground and into someone's warm arms._ Wait! I still have to see Kira! This is not right, not fair! I never got a chance to talk to him! _Her thoughts yelled inside her head, but only a soft"No.." escaped her mouth. The world was still fuzzy, but she could see that the person who held her was peering down to look at her closely. She turned her head away, not wanting to be slapped or hit.

But nothing happened. She blinked several times, trying to clear her head. The stranger never put her down all the while, continuing to hold her tight, his warmth radiating into her. When Lacus finally let herself face him again, she could see now that he was a young man, clothed in rough clothes. He wasn't looking at her anymore. The boy's face was twisted away from her, and his shaggy brown hair hid his eyes. Then, the pink-haired girl noticed that he was trembling, shaking violently, rocking both himself and her. Why?

"Who are you?" She asked weakly, concentrating hard on his face.

After a few seconds of trying to control the shaking, he finally turned around again.

She gasped.

Kira's jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes shone with anger and tears. His violet eyes held her own blue ones for one agonizing moment before he looked away from her face.

"K-Kira.." _He's here.. he's really here. Am I dreaming?_ She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she stared at him, unable to look away, even when he did. Another drop fell from her eyes. Then another.

She was crying. Silently, softly. "I..I.."

He caught her eyes again, his now filled with so much pain that Lacus was taken back. His grip of her tightened even more. "You're hurt."

Oh? She suddenly remembered the wounds on her wrists and ankles, "I am.. alright.."

"How can you say that?" He almost shouted, taking her by surprise, "How can you just calmly say that when you know it isn't true?"

She swallowed, not knowing how to take his outburst, "But even if it was not true, why do you care? You think I am evil. You think I am.. not normal.."

At her words, he grimaced and looked away, "Lacus.."

"I do not know why you came here, Kira," She said slowly, "But I really did want to see you one more time. I know that they will probably try to catch me and kill me but, please, I have to talk to you. I have to explain, if only you will let me."

His hands are much steadier now, unlike the emotions mixing in his eyes, "I know, Lacus. Me, too."

Kira carried her out of the dark hall, careful of others' watchful eyes. Lacus had no idea where they were going, but she trusted that he was taking them somewhere safe. It wasn't awkward at all being in his arms again, even though she knew they had a lot to talk about. She closed her eyes, listened to the steady pace of Kira's heartbeat, and felt comforted.

When she opened her eyes again, she was propped against a large rock on what appeared to be a rocky coast. Her wounds were bandaged roughly, and they only brought a dull pain now. Though there was a thick cloud of fog surrounding the place, she could hear the sound of distant waves, signaling that she was a short distance from the sea. Turning about, she could see a large castle fortress in the distance.

"Hey.."

She jumped at Kira's voice, even though he spoke softly. He appeared out of the fog and was walking over to her. "You're awake."

"Y-Yes.." Lacus looked down, abash by the fact that she had fallen asleep, "Umm.. this is?"

"Copernicus," the brown-haired boy replied, setting himself down next to her, "The kingdom of Argyle. It's where we were headed to anyways, before the.. er.. incident." His deep eyes held many questions, but before she could open her mouth to explain, he continued talking. "I want you to know that I don't think you're a monster, Lacus. You're.. different. But you are you. Even if you're a siren, there's still humanity inside of you. That's no lie."

"You believe me?"

"I still want to know why you did what you did," He says, "But the time we've spent together.. The person you are.. I trust you that you didn't fake it, because I just know, somehow, that it is you."

His words gave her hope, and prompted her to speak. "I know what I did was wrong, Kira, but there was so many things you could not see because you were not there. I missed you so much, and because of that, I.. got jealous of the Princess. She was always so close to you, always there to see you. I heard rumors, you see, and idiotically, I started believing them after a while. When you came home with the Princess for supper and I saw how you acted around her, I thought you had fooled me. That perhaps I loved you, but you did not love me anymore. And then.." Lacus struggled to steady her voice, "And then one night after that, the Princess summoned me to your camp. A-And I saw you.. and her.. in bed together.." She looked at Kira to see his reaction and was surprised to find him holding a hand to his face, looking pained and grimacing. "So I became so confused. I tried to find some way to talk to you, but it was so hard. I tried to go back to your camp again, but just when I was about to see you, I heard you talking to a friend, saying how you loved the Princess. I got so hurt by that. I loved you so much, and you betrayed me. So I.."

"Tried to kill Fllay and I?" He asked softly.

"No!" Lacus protested, "I loved you too much to try to hurt you, but I-I did truly want to hurt the Princess. But then, when I shifted and lured the ship to crash.. I saw the fear on her face. She looked like me. Like me when I was forced by my people to come above the ocean and walk on land among men. I was all alone, and so scared. I could not do it. She was going to drown, but I just had to go in after her. I pulled her out, and then you found us. And they found me." She looked away for a second, then back at Kira, "Please believe me. I know what I did was wrong, but I felt like I had no choice!"

He sighed, putting a hand to his head. "Lacus.."

"I really am sorry, Kira. There is nothing else I can say but that."

"No, Lacus," The brown-haired boy caught her eyes, and Lacus was startled to see the turmoil in them, "You think that all this is your fault, but it's not. You're hurt, Fllay's hurt, and the mess we're in.. it's all because of me."

"What do you mean?"

"This all started with me.." He took a deep breath, "I know I've hurt you so badly, and I don't expect you to forgive me. What I've done to you and others is unforgivable. I thought I could solve our problems and everyone can be happy, but I overestimated myself. In the end, nothing worked out like I planned."

"What.. did you plan? What are you talking about, Kira?"

He surprised her by reaching out and taking one of her hands into his, "I never lied to you. When we met, I feel in love with you. I loved you then, love you now, and will always love you until the day I die. I'm serious, Lacus. I really do feel this way."

"Then why..? The princess..?"

"She's a good person, Lacus. Everyone seem to have some horrible thing to say about her, and I'm not saying they're not right to think that. Fllay can act very selfish and rude in front of people, but inside, she's just lonely and full of anger at the world. It's hard to grow up in a palace where there's no one your age to talk to. She's used to commanding people and everyone listening to her. Her mother died when she was young, and her father's too busy as King to really pay much attention to her. Sure, Fllay has money and status, but what about love and kindness? She knows that people are only nice to her because of who she is, and because of it she learned to manipulate, to lie."

Lacus kept silent as she listened to Kira defend Fllay. She had no idea what to say to him when he paused, but he didn't wait for her to speak but continued on, "When I first met her, she took a liking to me because I treated her like a regular friend, and not as Princess. I could protect her, and she felt like she needed someone to protect her from her miserable world. I'm training to be a knight, and a knight will give everything to protect and defend his master. But I was different, because Fllay didn't know that there was one thing I couldn't give her.. And that was my heart."

"Your heart?" Lacus's voice came out in a whisper.

He nodded, gripping her hand tight. "You.. always had it. When you smile, my heart feels full. When you cry, my heart drops. When I get to see you, it pounds hard. It is what's pained me so much about my plans."

A flood of relief flowed through her, mixed with unbelievable joy, but the questions remained. "What did you plan, Kira? Tell me.. Tell me everything."

He looked troubled, but spoke anyways. "I messed up real bad, Lacus. I wanted to run away with you and leave my troubles behind, but I couldn't abandon Mother. I confided to Fllay about it all, and she agreed to help me. Her father's King and he listens to everything she says."

"But there's more.." Lacus spoke softly.

"Fllay asked me for an favor. She wanted to spend a single day with me just being happy and wild. I was her only true friend, and I would have done it even if I was not under her service."

"And so you did?"

"Yes. But we got drunk at a tavern on that day and I don't remember going back to camp. When I woke up, I got the news that we.. that is.. Fllay.. well, you know the rest.." He looked at her desperately, "I really don't remember anything, Lacus. But I do love you, not her."

The pink-haired girl was silent. So Kira did not even know what Fllay had forced her to see. She could tell him what the princess did, and she could say a lot more to alter his opinion of his lonely friend, but what was the point? At the moment, she was just overwhelmed by his confession. "Kira.."

His violet eyes stared intently into hers. "Will you still be mine, Lacus?"

She opened her mouth, but her voice got caught in her throat. Wasn't the answer obvious?

He smiled weakly as she finally choked out her reply, "Always."

His hands were gentle as he pulled her into his arms, and she closed her eyes, savoring the comfort of this one moment. Kira ran his thumb across her cheek and placed a shy kiss at her temple, while she held onto him with all her might. Sometimes, no words needed to be said.

After a long while, she had to break their embrace, "What are we going to do now, Kira? The guards are probably looking for me by now."

His face turned grim at the question, "I thought about it when I decided to come for you. There's no way we can let you be captured, so our only choice is to run. We need to get back to my mother and uncle."

"But you will be committing treason, right? You will be hunted, too!"

Her panicked tone made him grin, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't prepared for that, Lacus. Do you really think I would just sit and pretend to be a good boy while the girl I care about most is tortured?"

"They won't notice you are gone?"

"I told Nicol, and he's covering for me. Don't worry, he can be trusted."

"But how are we supposed to go back? We can't walk there and I.. can't change back."

He knew there was a story behind her past, but didn't ask for it. "We'll get a boat from the docks. There are always some that are stocked and ready for soldiers. I know how to sail and we must leave right now. We can't be stranded here with no way out."

Lacus nodded, thinking it over. Kira was right. They needed to move, now. She raised her chin to face him, sending him a look so trusting that it nearly pierced his heart, "Alright. I trust you."

The boy broke into a smile and hoisted himself off the ground. Lacus was about to follow when he nonchalantly leaned down and picked her up easily. She protested as he began to walk, but all that she got back was, "You're still hurt."

The heavy mist still lingered in the air and it was difficult to see. Lacus couldn't do much but hope that no one had went to check on her. For a while, their surroundings had felt calm and muggy, but as Kira continued onward, she began to feel uneasy. For some reason, the hairs on her neck were raising and fear began to creep upon her. There was danger nearby. All of her senses were screaming that to her, but the boy holding her did not seem to notice.

Lacus had to say something. "Kira?"

He looked down, "Yeah?"

"Something is.. not right."

"What are you talking about? We're almost there."

"I feel.. like there's something out there." She shivered.

His grip tightened around her as he shifted his gaze worriedly into the fog ahead, "Don't be silly, there's nothing..." His voice trailed off as his violet eyes went wide. Lacus felt like she couldn't breathe.

Oh, no.

There, a few yards in front of them, was the shadow of a group of about twenty men. The heavy fog had hid them from the couple's view, but now it was clear who they were.

The guards had caught them. Lacus recognized two from the three who had threatened her and was not shocked to see them, but next to her, Kira gasped. For in the very front of the group, looking miserable and defeated, stood his friend and comrade, Nicol Amarfi.


	10. 9: Sostenuto

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/GSD.

A/N: Envy is finally at its conclusion. After this chapter, there will be an epilogue to finish it off. Thank you to everyone who've read and reviewed this story. It is my first fanfic so I'm quite pleased to be able to complete it.. almost. This chapter is dedicated to BlitzUltimate09. Thank you so much for liking this story and giving me motivation to keep writing it. Happy birthday!.. one day early!

Ch.9: Sostenuto (prolonged)

"Eh, another young un' bewitched," grumbled a soldier gruffly, looking from Kira to Nicol to Lacus. His companions grumbled their agreement. A mixture of terrible panic and anger flooded through Kira. He trusted Nicol with everything and yet.. The green-haired boy looked up and met his eyes. The deep regret and guilt in them made Kira realize with a start that his friend had probably been threatened. It was common knowledge that they are good friends and Nicol always stayed true to his words. There was no way he would tell anyone unless it was a dire situation. Sure enough, as Kira's eyes trailed down from his friend's face, he saw severe large yellowing bruises starting to form on Nicol's cheeks and arms. He had probably been tortured. A deep stab of guilt rushed through the brown-haired boy, but this was not the time to dwell on his friend's wounds.

"Kira.." Lacus whispered in his arms, her voice soft.

He didn't look down. Instead, he focused on the men in front of them. Twenty men blocking their way to the dock.. there was no way he alone can take down twenty soldiers by himself and Lacus was still wounded. He couldn't plead with them and if they were to be taken captive then it would be all over.

He felt Lacus push herself out of her arms to stand trembling but firmly on the ground. So she knew what they had to do. Clenching his jaw and gripping Lacus's hand tightly, he broke into a run in the opposite direction from where the group of men had come. He had no idea where it would them, but it was their only option. His sudden retreat was no surprise to the soldiers, who immediately realized that he had no intentions of surrendering. They sprinted after the couple, shouting and cursing with loud voices.

"Huh..huff..huh.." Kira felt the stress of the run on his muscles and lungs as he and Lacus approached a mountain of tall, sharp rocks overlooking the sea. The sea.. a dead end. Where can they go now? Lacus was breathing hard behind him, trying not to stop running. A surge of panic swept through him as he realized that the only way to possibly escape the men was to jump. But that is simply suicide, for the waters below the rocks were deep and dark, with waves crashing about like an unrelenting whirlpool.

Lacus fell to her knees near the edge of the rocks, gasping for air. Kira didn't know what to do. He couldn't even move, bound to his position by a mixture of dread and fear as thundering footsteps approached. He had to turn to look at them. He knew he must. But to face them was to admit defeat, and to give Lacus up to a death sentence for certain. Lacus.. his eyes flew to the girl next to him. Was it so terrible to die this way? If it meant being able to be with the one person he cared about most and could not live without?

_I cannot be a coward. I must turn to face them,_ he thought. _If we are to die here, then so be it. I will not cower and hide from my fate. I know where I belong, and that is where I will stay._

He tore his eyes away from Lacus to the men approaching. To his horror, he saw that one of them in the front had broken away from the group and had an arrow held back in a bow that could only mean one thing. He saw the man take aim and realized with a fear stronger than any he had ever felt that it was not to pierce him, but Lacus.

"La-"

She looked up, eyes wide. He fell across her heavily.

"Kira! N-No.." She gasped as she saw the arrow slice through his chest, its point protruding out of the right side of his upper back. Blood fell like a waterfall out of the fresh wound, staining them both.

With a shout of terrible pain, he reached up and wrenched the spear out of his body, causing more blood to flow out. Silent tears were streaming down the cheeks of the girl next to him. Her arms encircled his body as he leaned into her, breathing heavily. They would only have a moment before the soldiers would be upon them.

"I-I'm so sorry.." She sobbed, "So sorry.."

"H-Hey.." He reached out a hand, wishing it would stop trembling, to touch her cheek, "At least.. we're together.. right?.. Even at the end.. we're.. still together." His eyes shifted to the roaring waves below.

She followed his gaze and realization dawned in her blue eyes. "We can't!"

"At least.. it's a _chance,_" Kira said, grimacing, "We have.. to try..!"

The men were clearly in sight now. Lacus struggled to help Kira up to his feet. The blood pouring from his wound just didn't seem to stop. They both turned slightly to look at the soldiers again. Nicol was with them, a look of anxiety and worry in his green eyes. They only widened with deep horror as he saw Kira and Lacus take the step from the rocks, holding on to each other. In a flash, they were gone, plummeting down to the waters below. The men gasped and cursed as they fell to the edge of the cliff to look. But the only sight to greet them was the ever churning sea, folding upon itself like there had never been a disturbance at all.

The fall seemed way too fast. Lacus felt her stomach drop as she tried her best to hold onto Kira and prepare herself for the crash into the ocean. The cold welcomed them with harsh waves that pushed all the air out of her lungs. They were pulled immediately under the waters, the currents tearing at their entwined fingers and sweeping them out to the open sea. Somehow, she found the strength to hold on and blindly push upwards to the surface. The two of them burst out of the water, gasping for breath, only to be hit in the face by more waves. They could only hold on to each other and try to stay afloat in the turmoil. Lacus tried to speak, but her yells were drowned out by the roars of the sea. The boy beside her could not speak, his wound had caused him to be weakened and still in terrible pain.

_Which way was land?_ Lacus thought in a panic. They had to reach land. But as far as she could see were only waves crashing upon each other. And Kira.. He could only look at her, his violet eyes urging her not to give up.

_I can't give up!_ She told herself, but already they were growing tired, their desperate kicks to remain floating weakening. She scanned the surface of the sea again, trying to concentrate on finding any kind of refuge. She could make out a very dark line in the distance. Could it be a coast or some tall rocks? Was it safe? But these questions were all tossed aside by the fact that no matter what kind of risk it was to try to reach there, it was one that they had to take.

Beside her, Kira was growing slow and weak. Lacus saw the immense effort it took for him to struggle in the waves. She began to steer them toward the direction of the dark coastline, shouting to him what she saw and praying that he could hear her. The brown-haired boy seemed to respond and began to swim with more urgency.

The journey to the coast seemed like a lifetime to Lacus. Every time Kira would grow slack or sink down further into the sea caused fear like sharp knives to stab through her already numb body. It was ironic that a surrounding that should have been her forte and advantage have now turned into her worst enemy.

After what seemed an eternity of treading water, Lacus could now see the dark gray sand of the beach in front of the black rocks of the coast. A slight glimpse of hope lite up in her. Could they make it after all? Compelled by that impulse, she turned to check on Kira. To her horror, she saw that his eyes were beginning to close, his arms moving but without strength.

"Kira!" She screamed, forgetting about their nearby destination, "Kira!"

He could barely see her now. The world was turning gray and colorless. The only thing that he can see was the pink hair and blue eyes of the girl next to him, but they, also, were growing dim. Could he really be dying..? If he was, then he must not weigh Lacus down. If she could survive.. then he would be happy, dead or alive.

"La..cus.." She could not hear his whisper, but he had to say her name one last time. It would be the last thing he would say. With the last of his strength, he wrenched his hands out of her grip and let the sea swallow his failing body. At once, the waves grabbed him, dragging him slowly down below.

Lacus felt Kira go down. Panic swept through her, and without thinking, she dove with a strength that would have surprised her otherwise. Water filled her eyes and mouth, but she didn't care. Through the dark haze of the water, she was able to make out Kira's form sinking further away from her. Her arms reached out desperately to grab him, but he just seemed to slide out of her grasp. She began to feel the burn of her lungs as she continued to swim deeper without going up for air, propelled by the fear of losing her love. Somehow, miraculously, she caught hold of one of his limp, outstretched hands through the darkness. A scream of relief flew to her lips, but only bubbles blew out of her mouth. She tried to pull them both up toward the surface above, but suddenly found that she had no more strength. Her legs kicked only weakly, the heavy weight of the boy dragging her down, and the blinding pain in her lungs had lessened, or is it only her imagination? There was no way she could save them both. She struggled to look at Kira. The sight of him made her heart skip a painful beat. His eyes were closed and he merely floated in her arms. He felt cold, so cold and limp. Could he be..? A memory of the tales the elder merpeople had told her of drowned sailors flew to her mind.

_No.. No! _ Lacus thought furiously, her aching body filled with sudden fear.

"Kira!" She screamed, forgetting wholly that he could not hear her, "Please! Don't leave me! Kira!"

Her tears mixed with the seawater around them as she lost the will to save herself. So this is it. Kira's words to her before they had jumped sounded in her mind. _Even at the end, we're still together._ At least, they will finally be able to be together with no one being able to tear them apart. But a part of Lacus still felt a heavy guilt. Kira could have had a great future. He could have had the respect of his people, could have married and had children, could have grown old and enjoyed the joys of watching the years fly by. But he gave up everything for her. Her, a person who couldn't even trust him and even desired to go so far as to kill another person because of her jealousy.

_If I could have anything in the world_, Lacus thought vaguely as they drifted down into the dark abyss, _I would wish that you could have lived a happy life. I wouldn't grab you so tightly and not let go. I would trust you, and believe in our love. No matter if we are separated or not, I would still love you. Always.. _With that last thought, Lacus closed her eyes and leaned her head into Kira's.

They'll go together.

She expected to grow numb and cold, but a different sensation came as the two of them sank further. A warm and fuzzy feeling spread from her middle to the tips of her fingers and toes. She found that the pain inside her body had faded away. Beyond her closed eyelids, a bright light started to glow, growing brighter and brighter. Was Kira seeing this, too? Was this the path to some sort of heaven, a place that would accept even accept someone like her?

But then a voice sounded in her head and all around her. It filled up every crevice and space. A woman's voice, strong and firm.

_My child._

And Lacus opened her eyes.

She was floating in the ocean still, but the darkness had gone. Instead, a warm golden light formed a halo around her and the boy in her arms. Foam and bubbles fluttered about, but could not seem to penetrate the halo. To her immense surprise, Lacus found that she could breathe. Was this real? She glanced at Kira. He was still cold, stiff, and motionless. She closed her eyes again in grief, but the voice rang out again.

_Look up, my child._

A strange feeling compelled Lacus to open her eyes. A ball of light was forming in front of her, growing larger and larger. Like a vision that could only appear in a dream or hallucination, the figure of a silver-haired woman appeared. The lady's waving hair swirled like elegant ribbons around her human torso and her gray-green eyes sparkled like jewels that were too bright to look at. But it was her fish-like tail that made Lacus gasp. Shiny, iridescent multi-colored scales covered the lady's mermaid tail. This was no ordinary hallucination, if it even were one, for the woman that she was gazing upon in all her glory was the Lady Goddess of the Sea, Atargatis.

Lacus could not speak. Her throat felt too choked up. All she could do was just hang onto Kira and stare up at the grand goddess.

_You have realized your mistake. _The goddess's voice had a hint of kindness. _Envy, was it not?_

"I.." With a start, Lacus realized Atargatis had heard her thoughts. "I know what I did wrong."

The goddess seemed to smile. Was it sadness or cruelty on her beautiful face? _You, little one, seem to be in quite the predicament. Your love is dying, all to be with you._

"I-I know.." The pink-haired girl whispered, "But.. why are you here?"

_It saddens me to be reminded of my own lover's demise in these waters of mine, _the goddess replied, _I was not able to save him. I can feel the pain of you and the young man. It is my choice to appear before you. No living merman has seen me for longer than I care to remember. But your true feelings.. somehow made me reminisce._

"You can save Kira?" Lacus asked, a flash of hope rushing through her.

_I will offer you a choice. I can save and return you to the world above as a human free to live your life however you may choose, but the young man must go his own way into the land of the Dead. Or I will save the boy, but he will not remember you. You will be forced to serve my domain of the sea for as long as I wish, bound to me as a mermaid. You will be compelled to perform my will and must return to the kingdom from which you have been banished. You may never see him again. That is the price you must pay in order to save him. Either your freedom, or his. Choose now._

Lacus lifted a hand to Kira's frozen cheek. She wished that she could see his violet eyes looking at her one more time. She wished she had another chance to tell him that she loved him. But this chance was everything she could have asked for. The choice was obvious.

"Save him, please. I will be yours." Her voice had no doubt.

_Then so it will be. _The goddess raised her shining hands. The water around them began to shimmer a rose gold. A strange warm feeling flowed through Lacus, and she saw with a start that her two legs had been once again replaced by the fish-like tail she had been born with. It felt almost foreign to her now. But that wasn't what was important. The boy next to her was surrounded by the glowing light. He was growing warm, color rushing back into his face. A sudden calm flowed through Lacus at the sight of Kira recovering. This is what she really wanted. To see him well and _alive_. She spoke out loud, "Thank you."

_It is done. _ The goddess's voice rang out again as the light around them dimmed. _You will take him to shore now. _Her figure seemed to dissolve with her light. _Then, your service begins._

Lacus took one final, deep breath. The cold and dark currents were replacing the air that surrounded them. "I understand."

_Go. _The silver lady's last words whispered. Her image was fading swiftly.

As the seawater hit the pink-haired girl, her instinct to swim returned. The powerful tail that had served her well in her mermaid days had returned to its job. Large, effortless strokes propelled Lacus forward, Kira held tightly in her arms. But the silver lady's voice continued to whisper in her mind. This time, however, the voice was kind and motherly. Was she only imaging the words or was the goddess really still speaking to her?

_You will be fine, my child. Know that the Goddess of the Sea repays her dues.. You will be alright.._

The words echoed faintly, like a feathery touch, brushing her softly before fading out..

The gentle waves that lapped the sand of Heliopolis glowed a rosy pink-orange in the light of daybreak.

If an innocently oblivious passerby would stumble upon the shore, they would have been witness to a startling yet moving sight.

The brown-haired young man lay, seemingly asleep, on the sand of the beach. He was alive but exhausted. A tear in his torn shirt showed a large wound only just healed.

The girl who leaned over him had long, wavy pink hair. Her blue eyes glowed with a mix of sadness and love so intense that it matched the bright rays of new daylight. A curling, scaled tail stretched out from her waist, its fins submerged slightly in the lapping waves.

The girl reached out to touch the boy's face, brushing shaggy brown hair away from his closed eyes. Her fingers stopped to cradle his cheek as she slowly lowered her pink lips to touch his, softly and tenderly. The gentle movement symbolized love, care, and a sense of farewell. The girl looked up after the kiss, her blue eyes focused intently on the boy's face, as if to engrave his features into her mind. But soon the sea was calling. An emotion that began to take over her limbs and mind was forcing her to return to the underwater kingdom. She slipped reluctantly back into the waves, but her head kept tilting back to look at him one more time. Words flew to her mouth instinctively. Only the still sand, flowing wind, and lapping water heard her as the girl whispered quietly, "I will always love you, Kira."

And like how the pale white moon disappeared from the rosy sky that was changing to blue, the girl disappeared from the surface of the sea, diving deep to a place that took her farther and farther away from the young man lying still on the beach.


End file.
